Anton du Beke at The Musicals - Review

Review by Mark at De Montfort Hall, Leicester

Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review.

Expect an evening of old school glamour as Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton du Beke tours his At The Musicals show.

Packed with showtunes, dance and a real showmanship by Anton, the band and his supporting company this is show that all ages can enjoy.

The show opens with Irving Berlin's 'There's No Business Like Show Business' and perfectly set the tone for the evening and what is to come.

The fairly bare stage becomes a playground for song and dance. The world of showbiz comes to life right before the audiences eyes. It opens with a dressing room set up, the use of props is minimal throughout, but the use of costume and lights helps really add glamour to proceedings.

Although Anton did release an album titled 'From The Top' in 2017 he is certainly not known to many for his vocals. He is given the chance to show what a lovely voice he does have. Whilst he may be surrounded by some really talented vocalists, he never feels out of place.

He is joined by guest Lance Ellington who oozes vocal class. His vocals are smooth and delight throughout with a standout moment as he gives a stunning rendition of 'Defying Gravity' from Wicked.

Joined du Beke and Ellington are two fantastic triple threat talents in Lucy Nolan and Lowri Beth Evans. Both are accomplished singers and dancers, combining both effortlessly. Evans is a magnificent match in numbers alongside du Beke, with ease and finesse to her movement. Both Nolan and Evans have real star quality. They are joined by superb dancers Kelly Chow, Ellie O'Gorman and Billy Lawrence who add to the high quality levels of dance which are choreographed by Bill Deamer. Much credit should also be given to the six piece band (Pete Callard, Mike Smith, Howard McGill, Pat Hartley, Sam Burgess and Andy Greenwood) under the musical direction of Clive Dunstall.

The most charming part of the evening is the relaxed feel. It never takes itself too seriously, nor does Anton as he regularly quips with the audience, the band or those around him on stage. In fact in his opening monologue he decides to go along the front row to ask what everyone's favourite musicals are. Through much hilarity from every musical selected by the audience members only one of them was featured in the show!

One of the highlights of the show came in the second act as Anton enters the stage with his phone in hand for a requests section where he pulls up lyrics from the internet and the band freestyle the music. He says this came from one night in Weston-Super-Mare when a lady asked him to sing something from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Hence the idea was born. The first suggestion was Carousel, although Anton had lined up 'The Surrey With The Fringe on Top' from Oklahoma! instead. Once back on track it was left to Ellington to give a showstopping rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. du Beke even saying he was too mesmerised to join in. Naturally the final suggestion in this section was Joseph!

Those moments with the audience feel very natural with du Beke. He often would break into a conversation or react to a laugh or even a noise. There we running jokes about Leicester's one way system - "do you not want people to visit" or one couple who were in from Peterborough who had recently moved in together after being long distance. It was kind of unforced nature that oozes the likeability of du Beke and a reason why his popularity has endured.

The show features a number of musical medleys including selections from My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Anything Goes, Hairspray, Moulin Rouge and more. It's a nice mixed selection, not always going for the most obvious songs. Songs naturally will feature dance breaks which allow for the company to show off their skills.

The evening ends with Anton even expressing how much he's enjoyed himself, saying "I know that isn't the point of this". That warmth and wit is the centre piece to watch is a classy evening of entertainment which clearly is relished by those in attendance. Glamorous entertainment of yesteryear whilst never feeling anything but engaging and enjoyable for a 2025 audience. The magnificence of musicals with a Strictly flair.

Anton du Beke at The Musicals tours visiting New Brighton (12th Nov), Malvern (13th Nov), Canterbury (16th Nov), Tunbridge Wells (17th Nov) and Shrewsbury (18th Nov).

Anton then tours his Christmas show 'Christmas With Anton du Beke' running from 20th November until 23rd December. For full tour dates and booking visit https://www.antontour.com/