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A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.
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Not being a Strictly Come Dancing viewer, I was not sure what to expect from this show. I did wonder if it would just be one bloke prancing about the stage, however this was far from the reality!
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To start with it was a wonderful set, as we had been told by the merchandise seller who doubles as the carpenter on our way in! It was done to look like an outdoor cafe scene in Italy, in keeping with the Made in Italy theme. There is a restaurant called Giovanni’s, wonder where they got that name, with a table and chair. There’s a bench and a guitarist sitting playing as we sat down and sort out our jackets.
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As the audience milled in and find their seats, people came to this stage one by one – a lady with a menu, a man at the table, a couple having a look around. 1 At the start time there is an announcement – it was Giovanni Pernice himself telling us that we weren’t allowed to use cameras and that we were to relax, enjoy the show and make sure that all night ours eyes are on him. If anyone was worried they would not know when the man himself was on stage, it was pretty obvious as he arrived on stage riding a Vespa! Truly made in Italy! The crowd went wild, unsurprisingly as it was mostly made up of ladies, screaming ladies!
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The show really was spectacular. There are lots of different variety to the types of dancing, we had live singers and musicians performing, intermingled with the dancers. The first half of the show follows the story of a young girl arriving in a town in Italy and meeting some of locals. She becomes one of the waitresses at the pizzeria, and meets Giovanni. This girl is played by Lauren Oakley who was his dance partner in Strictly.
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My personal favourite dance was definitely at the end of the first half when Giovanni mentioned the differences between our cars and that they have Ferrari. Out came some tyres and an engine, and the dancers in similarly themed sparkly outfits, and I thought about the Athena poster with the oiled topless mechanic in the 90s. On came the song and of course it had to be the one we all know and love from Grease: Grease Lightning! As with the whole show the outfits were stunning and the dancing was amazing. For this number I must admit I think I held my breath for a part of it because it was just so breath taking! I just did not want it to end, although was looking forward to some Mackies ice cream!
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All through the show the different dancers got a chance to show off their talents at different points, in between of course Giovanni showing off his dancing for us which is astounding. The lifts and twirls just captivate the entire audience and leave us all screaming for more. Certainly a hit show for Strictly Theatre Co, watch out for it coming to a town near you!
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Further information: https://www.giovannipernice.com/about-the-show
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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.
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