Review - Anton Du Beke -The Drill Hall - Chepstow
Music in Wales sends singer, producer and writer, Nick Langston, to spend an evening with Anton Du Beke as he discusses his new book 'The Paris Affair', his life in dance and a few things Strictly.
REVIEWS
Nick Langston
11/20/20232 min read
Review - Anton Du Beke - The Drill Hall, Chepstow
There is something curious and slightly other-worldly when someone who is now as ubiquitous as Anton Du Beke visits a small hall in a small town on the edge of Wales. The Drill Hall, however, in the centre of Chepstow, was just such a place and the occasion was that the dancer and occasional singer and recently appointed 'Strictly Come Dancing' judge, was doing the rounds talking about his new novel - 'The Paris Affair'.
The romantic wartime saga has echoes of the romantic Hollywood persona that Anton exudes - a persona that walks the line between Fred Astaire and classic British music hall stars from Arthur Askey (ask your grandparents) to Bruce Forsyth. But to refer to his character merely as a persona is perhaps harsh - he has a relaxed and charming confidence, taking complete and utter control of the room within the first few seconds of stepping on to the stage. This is a man who knows his craft, who knows his audience, who can read a room and has the magical ability to control it at his whim - merely with a knowing wink or a sideways glance.
He clearly loves being here and his joie de vivre is infectious. Many might think that he is a born natural but in recent times he has made the point that this hasn't come easy, that this is years and years of hard slog, of hard work, of hard graft. But perhaps the message to all of us is the knowledge that perhaps with determination and resilience we can all get to the point where things look so devastatingly effortless - whether he is waxing lyrical about his love of the 1930s and 1940s or giving the audience an impromptu lesson in the Viennese Waltz or simply sharing stories of Strictly.
He approaches the book signing part of the evening with the same disarming grace, leaving an entire room of people loving him twice as much as they did when they had only ever seen him on the telly.
A triumph of an evening, organised by Chepstow Books and Gifts, and proof that there is still space in the world for timeless entertainment and good humour.
