With Together Again Anton and Giovanni bid us an ‘arrivederci’ full of song, dance, laughs and memories

United Kingdom Anton & Giovanni Together Again: Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, 30.7.2025. (JPr)

We were repeatedly told this was the last of 45 shows: thankfully it is apparently not farewell to touring for ‘legend and national treasure’ Anton Du Beke and his great friend Giovanni Pernice who are taking next year off – separately or together – but according to Giovanni merely ‘arrivederci’. So, in the meanwhile we will always have the memory of this wonderful show to make us smile and can live in hope it will not be too long until we indeed do meet them again. Almost every month this season – to varying success – there has been a Strictly Come Dancing-related show on at the Cliffs Pavilion; and although it is now hindsight, perhaps the audience do need something of a break. However, it will be Anton and/or Giovanni we will miss most, even though Anton returns as soon as this November with his At The Musicals show which is a must-see.

What Anton and Giovanni brought to Southend was the 2025 equivalent of an old-style variety show, with its song, dance and laughter. The silliness of the opening set the tone about how the show was not going to take itself too seriously …even if did you ever expected it would. Giovanni is lounging wondering where Anton is and we are told ‘He’s having a wee-wee’ (probably explaining the two cut-outs on the simple staging which looked like portaloos). But no, Anton meanders through the audience in Deliveroo guise trying to find a ‘G. Penniessy’ to give his pizza to!

The company then introduced themselves – in the first of Jordan Graff’s series of colourful, sparkly outfits – by dancing exuberantly to ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing’. Giovanni – as expected – said how pleased he was to be back in ‘one of the most beautiful places in the world … Souffend’. The music was courtesy of some high-quality backing tracks (though no substitute for a live band) from Jordan Alexander and some onstage singing from Anton and Giovanni (such as during ‘Nice ‘n’ Easy’) as well as from other members of the multitalented company.

An odd but hilarious interlude had Giovanni imagining appearing with Anton in a musical, ‘The Jesse Boys’ as he called it (with his mangling of the English language rekindling memories of Chico Marx for the oldest of the older generation). Dancers Redman Rance and Alex Sturman became the butt of the jokes as Anton says ‘You’ve been very good on this tour, we’ve been very pleased with you, but unfortunately you’re out of work.’ Together the quartet sang a very credible ‘Sherry’. The first half ended with a rocking and rolling look back at the 50s (in tribute to Anton!) from Elvis’s ‘C’mon Everybody’ sung by Rance, to ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’, Johnny B. Goode’ and ‘Jailhouse Rock’.

After the interval heightened sophistication brought a French-themed number as an unspoken tribute to Gene Kelly began with ‘Stairway to Paradise’ from his film musical American in Paris. It was not long until one of the highlights of the whole show was Anton singing and dancing to ‘Can’t Take my Eyes Off You’ before being joined by Giovanni in drag – and a ‘vision’ in glittering gold – as his alter ego ‘Tara Misu’ who Anton said looked more like Tina Turner …or her love child with Rod Stewart. In fact, Giovanni looked more like Conchita Wurst which – despite being unremarked on – actually anticipated another of Together Again’s highlights as the company minus its two stars excelled in an elaborate contemporary number to Conchita Wurst’s 2014 Eurovision winning song ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’. The compelling performance was led by the clearly ballet-trained Sturman and equally versatile Rance and it showed all the other dancers – Lowri Beth Evans, Erica Martinelli, Holly Skiggs, Claudia Lilly and Kelsie-Rae Marshall – at their very best too. With highlight following upon highlight there was a ‘tango battle’ (Argentine versus traditional dance-off) full of heightened passion for Giovanni, Anton and Martinelli. Amongst the listed choreographers (which included director Simon Coulthard, Bill Deamer and Victoria Martin) I suspect this is where Vincent Simone helped most.

The end of the show was approaching, and it took an emotional turn when – without having to dwell on it too much because it is all history now – Giovanni thanked Anton because ‘You were there for me when I needed you the most.’ There followed a remarkable rendition (in English and Italian’ of ‘My Way’ from them both and – deservedly – by the concluding ‘The record shows I took the blows and did it my way’ virtually the entire Cliffs Pavilion audience had risen to their feet to give them an ovation. Giovanni keeps his singing talents well-hidden …and shouldn’t’!

The wonderful company’s high-energy and stamina-sapping finale of ‘Land of 1000 Dances’ (think ‘na na-na-na-na’) and ‘I’m So Excited’ kept everyone out of their seats till it was finally time to bid Anton and Giovanni so long for now with ‘We Go Together’. That they certainly do, and I hope it is not too long before they are back together again. Remember some of us in the audience are not getting any younger!

Jim Pritchard

Featured Image: The Anton & Giovanni Together Again Company © Tania Richards

Dancers – Anton Du Beke, Giovanni Pernice, Lowri Beth Evans, Erica Martinelli, Redmond Rance, Alex Sturman, Holly Skiggs, Claudia Lilly and Kelsie-Rae Marshall

Creatives:
Director and Choreographer – Simon Coulthard
Additional choreography – Bill Deamer, Vincent Simone and Victoria Martin
Musical supervisor – Jordan Alexander
Costume design – Jordan Graff
Lighting design – José Lorenzo
Sound engineer – William Robinson
Producers – Paul and Elizabeth Irving