EDINBURGH 2023: Review: AN AFTERNOON WITH ANTON DU BEKE, Underbelly

A condensed version of his touring show, An Afternoon With Anton Du Beke and Friends comes to the Fringe for a short run. From the top, Du Beke is feeling the pressure of sticking to the hour-long run time as he's aware of his tendency to get carried away.

The performance consists of a bit of chat, some songs, dances and Q&A from the audience via messages that are texted in. Anton Du Beke gives us the behind-the-scenes scoop on some Strictly Come Dancing secrets as he recalls his time on the show as a dancer.

The songs are classics such as "New York New York" and "Mack the Knife" and the dances are as slick as you would expect from such a professional. The audience questions range from insightful questions about his career to date to requests for birthday wishes. 

There are a lot of amusing anecdotes and he has brilliant comedic timing. There's no script and Anton Du Beke is free to just say whatever pops into his head and there are some great stories about repeated mistaken identity with another celebrity who bears resemblence to him. He also talks about his introduction to ballroom dancing as a child and his early classes are reenacted onstage.

With special guest Lance Ellington on vocals and sharing some of the conversational aspects of the show, this is a warm and entertaining afternoon with a big helping of glitz.

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