Anything Goes

Anything Goes is full of some glorious musical numbers and a lot of crazy fun.  The story is well known by many of the people in the audience so the expectations are high.  TAOS met those expectations. There was an evocative feeling of those times, with the rich playboys, the elegant ladies and the gangster and his moll.  

The characters need to be dramatically portrayed and  Reno with so much personality and a powerful singing voice commanded the stage whenever she appeared.  The gorgeous "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" was sung with energy by Reno and the Company and thrilled us all, as we hoped it would.   Her four Angels, Reno's backing group, danced and sang, looking lovely in the most becoming costumes.    

Billy was played with style and confidence, the young man so much in love, mostly optimistic but sometimes overcome by the apparent hopelessness of his situation. He was very much the man of that era and sang some lovely numbers.  He handled a difficult situation in one number so calmly that the audience probably didn't notice there had been a problem.   Sir Evelyn Oakleigh was rather interestingly played, dare I say it,  by a more senior actor than is usual and my goodness that worked really well.  The way the character is written does make the casting of an older actor most appropriate.  Hope was charming, elegant and beautiful and her songs were a joy to listen to.  She appeared to be the dutiful daughter but showed a strength of character when needed.   Her Mother, Mrs Evangeline Harcourt is a gold-digging opportunist without a sense of humour but with a number of opportunities to set up a gag, such as "Alcohol has never touched my lips".  These were timed well allowing the joke to be delivered and laughter to be heard.  

Elisha J Whitney staggers on and off the set permanently under the influence and extremely shortsighted. It's not easy playing a drunk and this was played nicely, sufficiently inebriated but never too much.   Bonnie was the perfect dizzy moll,  such an unlikely sidekick for Moonface, who was so proud of his position as a "Public Enemy Number 13".  This was a good pairing that made for many funny moments.  

The supporting actors added strength to the production and the chorus was just sufficient in number to provide a crew and passengers.  This allowed the stage to never appear overcrowded.  All were convincing in the character they were playing, bringing truth to the story. The choreographed dancing and movement had been designed to suit the story and was performed with style.

The costumes were glorious.  Full marks to the Wardrobe Department.  Hope's frocks, especially in the second Act, were so elegantly glamorous and she wore them naturally as if this was how she dressed every day.   Reno and also the Angels needed a number of changes of costume, adding so much style to the show.  The costuming of the Angels was cleverly planned so that until the Manhatten number the audience would not have noticed that one of them was a "fallen angel" with a soon to be born baby bump.  The makeup was attractive and right for the era.  The Angels wore wigs as is the custom.  

The lovely numbers were beautifully sung and accompanied by a small band.  The sound was well balanced so both the quality of the voices and the fabulous sound of the band could be enjoyed.  Diction was clear and where accents were used they were maintained well.   Unless something dramatic is called for it is often better if the lighting changes from scene to scene are on the subtle side, enhancing the story rather than interrupting it.  This lighting was well designed, it was in very safe hands.  There were some interesting sound effects that some of the gags depended on.  Time them well and the gag really works.   Moonface and the clay pigeon shooting was timed just right and was very funny.

The set worked well with the changes to the cabin scene smoothly undertaken.  Good use was made of the steps at the side of the stage which lead to platforms and doors backstage.  Having additional exits does open up exciting possibilities for staging a show and the director had made good use of them.

This was a very entertaining evening enjoyed by a happy audience.

 

 

Anything Goes

Tiverton Amateur Operatic Society

Musical

Director: Pauline Farr

Musical Director: Hilary Wickham

Choreographer: Shirley Cousins

The New Hall, Tiverton

13th September 2019

As seen by Joyce Pomeroy

 

Disclaimer

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

 

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular, the performance.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

 

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

 

Anything Goes is full of some glorious musical numbers and a lot of crazy fun.  The story is well known by many of the people in the audience so the expectations are high.  TAOS met those expectations. 

 

There was an evocative feeling of those times, with the rich playboys, the elegant ladies and the gangster and his moll.  

 

The characters need to be dramatically portrayed and  Reno with so much personality and a powerful singing voice commanded the stage whenever she appeared.  The gorgeous "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" was sung with energy by Reno and the Company and thrilled us all, as we hoped it would.   Her four Angels, Reno's backing group, danced and sang, looking lovely in the most becoming costumes.    

 

Billy was played with style and confidence, the young man so much in love, mostly optimistic but sometimes overcome by the apparent hopelessness of his situation. He was very much the man of that era and sang some lovely numbers.  He handled a difficult situation in one number so calmly that the audience probably didn't notice there had been a problem.   Sir Evelyn Oakleigh was rather interestingly played, dare I say it,  by a more senior actor than is usual and my goodness that worked really well.  The way the character is written does make the casting of an older actor most appropriate.  Hope was charming, elegant and beautiful and her songs were a joy to listen to.  She appeared to be the dutiful daughter but showed a strength of character when needed.   Her Mother, Mrs Evangeline Harcourt is a gold-digging opportunist without a sense of humour but with a number of opportunities to set up a gag, such as "Alcohol has never touched my lips".  These were timed well allowing the joke to be delivered and laughter to be heard.  

 

Elisha J Whitney staggers on and off the set permanently under the influence and extremely shortsighted. It's not easy playing a drunk and this was played nicely, sufficiently inebriated but never too much.   Bonnie was the perfect dizzy moll,  such an unlikely sidekick for Moonface, who was so proud of his position as a "Public Enemy Number 13".  This was a good pairing that made for many funny moments.  

 

The supporting actors added strength to the production and the chorus was just sufficient in number to provide a crew and passengers.  This allowed the stage to never appear overcrowded.  All were convincing in the character they were playing, bringing truth to the story. The choreographed dancing and movement had been designed to suit the story and was performed with style.

 

The costumes were glorious.  Full marks to the Wardrobe Department.  Hope's frocks, especially in the second Act, were so elegantly glamorous and she wore them naturally as if this was how she dressed every day.   Reno and also the Angels needed a number of changes of costume, adding so much style to the show.  The costuming of the Angels was cleverly planned so that until the Manhatten number the audience would not have noticed that one of them was a "fallen angel" with a soon to be born baby bump.  The makeup was attractive and right for the era.  The Angels wore wigs as is the custom.  

 

The lovely numbers were beautifully sung and accompanied by a small band.  The sound was well balanced so both the quality of the voices and the fabulous sound of the band could be enjoyed.  Diction was clear and where accents were used they were maintained well.   Unless something dramatic is called for it is often better if the lighting changes from scene to scene are on the subtle side, enhancing the story rather than interrupting it.  This lighting was well designed, it was in very safe hands.  There were some interesting sound effects that some of the gags depended on.  Time them well and the gag really works.   Moonface and the clay pigeon shooting was timed just right and was very funny.

 

The set worked well with the changes to the cabin scene smoothly undertaken.  Good use was made of the steps at the side of the stage which lead to platforms and doors backstage.  Having additional exits does open up exciting possibilities for staging a show and the director had made good use of them.

 

This was a very entertaining evening enjoyed by a happy audience.

Joyce

 

 

 

 

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.