Anything Goes

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter, Anything Goes is one of these shows that is bright, full of fun, comedy, romance and lots of dance. It’s a show that has had a few revivals and it was great to get the opportunity to see the most recent revival which included well choreographed extended dance numbers and a few changed characters. Following a lovely warm welcome from Bill and Gordon front of house, we made our way to the auditorium where we were immersed into the pre-show entertainment which transitioned seamlessly into the overture and into the show. Set against the backdrop of cruising on the SS American we were introduced to comedy, romance, disguise and lots of great dancing. The opening number from Catherine Mackenzie playing Reno Sweeney brought us “I Get A Kick Out of You” with style, ease and elegance. With superb vocal ability, acting and dancing Catherine shone in the role of Reno Sweeney bringing lots of light and shade to the role. She also excelled in her dancing in the standout performance tap routine in the show title song “Anything Goes”. Reno Sweeney’s initial love interest Billy Crocker was played by Adam Stewart whose performance in singing acting and dance throughout the show was excellent. Elisha Whitney, played by Robert Fyfe brought us great comedy timing and a big personality and along with Evangeline Harcourt, always seeking wealth, played by Aileen Johnston we were entertained by their eccentricities. Hope Harcourt played by Erin McQuillan showed a delicate contrast to her mother and was strong in her vocal ability along with her acting and dancing. Ross Nicol gave an outstanding performance as Lord Evelyn Oakley. His accent, comedy timing and rhyming slang stood out, and he was thoroughly entertaining. It was great to hear clear harmonies from the quartet of sailors, and Reno’s showgirls each brought their own personalities and sassy characters to the roles and demonstrated a great ability in their dancing. Moonface Martin played by Craig Smith gave a solid performance and Erma played by Laura Wallace shone in her role through her excellent singing, dancing and comedy timing. “Buddy Beware” was very well choreographed and sung and Laura and the sailors executed the many lifts with great ease. Spit and Dippy are changed roles in the new production and they worked well together bringing the characters to life. The choreography throughout the production was of an extremely high standard and there were some key outstanding moments particularly the Act 1 finale. The ensemble worked hard from the pre-show through to the end of the show and performed with great style, great vocal harmonies and clear diction. A new set designed by Challum Brown enhanced the staging of the show and where needed moved with ease. Bunting draped across the ceiling in the theatre auditorium made for the feel of being on the ship and lighting enhanced some of the scenes particularly well. A fast-paced show, the action moved swiftly from scene to scene, and it was evident that the backstage team had everything under control. The band and balance between the pit and stage was great. Credit must go the entire production team for bringing a show of this standard to the stage.  A huge well done to Runway. 

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