Anything Goes

A simple preset in front of a cloth as the audience arrived was a masterly idea. Having members of the cast on stage using a cocktail lounge stopped me reading my programme...I was interested in their actions. The gobos shining on the cloth made certain we knew we were in New York. A lovely overture from the excellent orchestra in the pit played the wonderful melodies of Cole Porter and we were off.

Although Anything Goes has had several rewrites and updates, it is still essentially the 1934 musical extravaganza that Cole Porter and the script writers intended, and it is still remarkably successful. Personally I believe this to be the power of the wonderful Cole Porter melodies rather than the rather dated libretto.

The story got of to a slow start as we were introduced to many characters, so quickly that unless you know the show well some confusion is bound to occur. To the credit of the director the characters established themselves smoothly and we were soon into ‘grand farce’ with ridiculous situations and out dated dialogue adding to the gentle fun.  The deck of the SS American was revealed in its glory… a fresh, clean, well designed set with excellent entrances and excellent insets. This clever set allowed maximum pace in a show hampered by so many quick entrances and exits of cast, one liner(s) and small scenes. The cast strove hard to ensure continuity and pace and any slowness was from the script… not the cast.

The set was professional and very good. The costumes were excellent; attention to detail was very good in uniforms and character costumes. All costumes were colourful, correct for the period and worn well by all the cast. Good lighting and effects added to the ‘on board’ atmosphere. The passing cloud effect was very good and gave an impression of movement, beautiful night skies and sunny daylight showed imagination. Sound as always was faultless (I like to praise the cast for good delivery as well, as good sound cannot improve diction… well done).

In this show the music is paramount. The performers’ had been well trained by the MD, cues, entrances and exits spot on. It is a joy for the MD when he has a talented team and this team certainly was talented. All the principals had excellent voices and presented the musical numbers very well. The orchestra (instrumentation chosen well) gave a good thirties sound that showcased the songs beautifully. Company singing although limited was very good; pity there isn’t more for the chorus.

The direction of the show was very good,  what is a director to do with  a script that has so many ‘one liners’, make entrances and exits snappy, ask for speedy delivery of lines, ask the cast to play the rather weak comedy quite straight in period style and not ’ham it up’. All of this was achieved in style and added to audience enjoyment. The pace as already stated was only hampered by the script and the cast did brilliantly to give the pace needed. The choreography was very well designed, interesting and enjoyable to watch and well within the abilities of the talented dancers. The first act was setting the scene and is wordy; consequently the action within act 2 made it the livelier act of the show.

I do not propose to comment on every principal performer but would wish to highlight the ‘magic’ moments within the show. In the first act we had some wonderful songs I Get a Kick Out of You and You’re the Top excellently sung and performed by Billy and Reno. Reno gave a professional dazzling performance throughout and Billy made a very good and funny leading man.  Moonface Martin was a delight… a gem of a role for an accomplished comic actor and he performed with style, his Be like the Bluebird was a joy and duet with Reno Friendship was a delight. The Gypsy in Me had to be a major highlight of the show, performed with sheer abandon and great tongue in cheek fun by Lord Evelyn… very well done.  Blow Gabriel Blow was another highlight with Reno and the girls and the company making it a great production number. There were no weak links in this cast, every member performed to a high standard…. Why then did I leave the theatre feeling slightly underwhelmed? The Saturday night performance had everything in the right place at the right time, there were no holdups, it was musically and script sound, it was full of talented performers, but it didn’t sparkle… Were the cast members tired having done a matinee with only a very short break?

Personally I blame the audience; it was a small audience that night, mainly seated in the central area of the stalls, from my excellent seat on the side I had no one around me and felt isolated from the rest of the audience. The audience gave the cast, nothing… they were quiet, didn’t respond to jokes and I think left the cast feeling rather flat following an almost full audience of the afternoon. This is only my personal opinion and having been a performer, I know that an audience can lift …or lower a very good performance.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.