Strictly a joyful dance show
Anton & Erin – Swing Time, St David’s Hall, Cardiff
Your granny and grandad may have thrilled to Fred and Ginger, but today’s dance fans are most definitely in thrall to Anton and Erin.
The much-loved duo, who made their name on Strictly Come Dancing have been bringing their shows to St David’s Hall for several years and each is a guaranteed sellout such is the popularity of the show – and of these two stars.
Erin Boag may no longer be tripping the light fantastic on the Saturday night staple of a nation’s living rooms, but Anton Du Beke’s star shows no sign of dimming. The 50-year-old, a first-time father whose partner is expecting twins, probably figures this is the only time he will be able to get out of the house for a while, so makes the most of his time on stage – before nappy changing and burping duty calls.
The show is a crowd pleaser in every sense. In Du Beke you not only have a dancer but a showman, and a stand-up regaling the audience with hilarious tales of his more unfortunate partners on Strictly such as Anne Widdecombe and Judy Murray
Given his track record of being teamed with partners for whom dancing is a foreign concept, you can understand the joy these shows with the wonderful Boag – his dance partner of 20 years – brings.
With a supporting cast of six talented dancers, Strictly favourite singer Lance Ellington and the London Concert Orchestra, classic standards such as Top Hat, White Tie And Tails, Moon River, Soul Bossa Nova, Minnie The Moocher, Well Did You Ever, Moondance, and stunning My Fair Lady and Gershwin medleys thrilled in a glittering show that ran for more than two and half hours.
There was even a surprise guest in the form of Welsh athletics legend Colin Jackson. The former Strictly contestant, who the day before had celebrated his 50th birthday, was a member of the audience and was introduced to the crowd to rapturous applause.
And while he didn’t show off the stylish moves he had learned on the show, Erin – who he partnered on Strictly – made him promise that when they return to Cardiff he will trip the light fantastic on stage.
David Owens