Giovanni: Let Me Entertain You- London Palladium

As part of his seventh consecutive UK theatre tour, arguably Strictly Come Dancing's most recognisable professional dancer, Giovanni Pernice, celebrates with a gala performance of Let Me Entertain You, at one of London's most prestigious theatres. Backed by an incredible cast of seven professional dancers, a small but mighty live band and a BSL interpreter, Pernice's effervescent showmanship continues to win over audiences' hearts year after year.

With no room for slow starts or easing in, Pernice and co, launched with full vivacity, into the titular number; a showstopping explosion of lightning fast Cha Cha footwork, that melted effortlessly into a burlesque styled routine, fully showcasing his incredibly leading lady, Lauren Oakley. It's easy to see why it was no question for the BBC talent show to snap her up as their latest edition to their professional line-up, moving effortlessly between style and pace, from a 1920's flapper styled Charleston (Geraldine's Routine), to a breath-taking Rumba (Alone), which highlighted her gorgeous legs and feet whilst oozing with an air of sultry, sensual class.

Every genre and style of music was played out to its full advantage, across the two-and-a-half hours stage time, from a humorous homage to the greats of the West End and beyond, through a hugely amusing rendition of ‘A Musical’, from the show Something Rotten – which features songs from ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘Oliver’ to name a few - to a medley of 80's pop classics, that ended with Toni Brasil's pom-pom waving 'Mickey', which replaced the titular name with 'Gio', to much amusement, showcasing both the dance and vocal talents of Katie Dunsden (who recently finished a stint as Cha Cha in Grease at the Dominion Theatre).

But there were also moments of beautiful, tender stillness and quiet; referencing the Gwyneth Paltrow film 'Sliding Doors', which explores life's what ifs, the cast performed a beautiful interpretation of the opening scenes on the train platform, through a stunning contemporary Rumba/ Viennese Waltz fusion, led by Giovanni and Lauren, set to Freya Ridings' haunting Lost Without You (stunningly covered by Liberty Stotter). Stotter performed some of the most beautiful and powerful vocals over such a huge range, from Christian Aguilera, to Tina Turner, which really showcased her incredible talent, on a world - renowned stage.

Ever the showman, Pernice, has really honed his craft over the last nine years, since joining Strictly, particularly where audience interaction is concerned. From good old-fashioned audience participation, where 'David' was selected from the audience, to be both serenaded and tortured by a comedic rendition of Grease's Beauty School Dropout, to the natural albeit scripted moments of discussion about his past, present and future dreams, its clear that he has worked hard to achieve such an easy rapport, which keeps on giving.

Possibly the greatest moment in the whole show was when Pernice himself came together, with vocalists Liberty Stotter, Katie Dunsden, Conor Mellor and Alex Turney, to produce a tear-jerkingly beautiful rendition of 'Somewhere' from West Side Story, accompanied by a stunning contemporary pointe solo from Emily Layden - Fritz, who completely shone in this number.

As with all good things, this toe-tapping triumph reached its end with a high octane disco medley, featuring Robyn’s ‘Show Me Love’, Chaka Khan’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and J-Lo’s hip thrusting and hand clapping ‘Let’s Get Loud’ and cumulating in two of Tina Turner's biggest hits, 'Nutbush City Limits' and 'Proud Mary', which had the entire auditorium whipped up onto their feet in a wave of sheer energy and infectious enthusiasm radiating from this masterpiece of dance and entertainment.

Overall, a glitzy, glamorous and glorious, Giovanni Pernice and his incredible really did deliver one fabulous night of entertainment! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Rating- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐