Giovanni Pernice review: Strictly showman leads an extravaganza at Theatre Severn
Strictly Come Dancing 2021 glitterball champion Giovanni Pernice is back on tour with a new version of his show This Is Me. It is named after the song from The Greatest Showman which, he explained to the Shrewsbury audience with typical tongue-in-cheek immodesty, is also he.
This Is Me may not actually be the greatest show I have ever seen but it was certainly hugely entertaining, an all-singing all-dancing extravaganza, and is the perfect showcase for the Sicilian professional dancer's fancy footwork, deadpan humour and easygoing charm.
Whilst none of the Italian heart-throb's Strictly co-stars join him in this show, he has surrounded himself with a stunning troupe of seven top-notch pro dancers from across Europe, plus impressive singer/dancers Whitney Martins and Tobias Turley. And even Giovanni broke out in song with them.
It took Giovanni all of about five minutes to remind his adoring audience, about 95 per cent of them female at Monday's matinee, that he was finally "the champ", or rather "the bride" after his bridesmaid role as runner-up in several previous finals of the BBC's top light entertainment show. The first major dance routine, a high-energy Charleston, culminated with the Glitterball (or a copy of the much-coveted trophy) being revealed on a pedestal.
The show is loosely based upon Giovanni's musical icons and influences, chiefly his hero Freddie Mercury. Cue a jiving Crazy Little Thing Called Love and dance routines to The Show Must Go On, Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites The Dust. The star relished the chance to strut in a replica of Mercury's famous yellow military jacket, encouraging the audience to replace the famous 'AO' audience participation with the cry of 'Gio'.
The biggest laughs of the night came when a high-heeled Gio pranced onto the stage in drag in tribute to Queen's I Want To Break Free video. He even plucked a man from the audience as his partner (watch out fellas if you're in the first rows!). The aim may have been good natured embarrassment but birthday boy and superfan Chris clearly relished every moment.
There was some hot Havana action in a Latin section, that began with Giovanni as a matador for a blend of flamenco and paso doble, returning as a salsa sashaying night club Romeo for a terrific tango routine with his principal dance partner, the vivacious Lauren Oakley. From Birmingham, the Burn The Floor dance captain looks like a cross between an Amazon warrior and Betty Boop, and is a flawless match for nimble Gio.
Of course, his most famous partner was his celebrity Strictly winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and he was full of praise for the EastEnders actor, who was the first deaf contestant on the show. Naturally he added: "She had a great teacher." A poignant reminder of their groundbreaking partnership came in the routine to This Is Me when Gio signed some of the meaningful lyrics.
The full house audience showed their appreciation for a thrilling two-hour show with a standing ovation.
Giovanni returns to the region for sold out performances at Birmingham Town Hall on March 26 and The Place Telford on March 28, then returning to Shrewsbury and Birmingham in March 2023 with his Made In Italy show. But he will also be back this summer when he joins Strictly judge Anton Du Beke when their Him & Me show visits Theatre Severn on June 14 and 15, and Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre on July 9.
