Tap dancing, tight-trousered sailors, a 50-strong cast and ensemble, sparkly frocks, preposterous plotlines and some of Cole Porter's finest numbers - what more could anyone want from a night at the theatre?
And so it was - ten whole months since I first booked tickets for it [delayed twice and then cancelled due to COVID; then re-booked by my dear sister] - a little coterie of "our gang" (Me, Madam Arcati, Hils, Crog, Baby Steve, Houseboy Alex, John-John, Russ and Joe) finally went to see the much-lauded Barbican Theatre production of Anything Goes last night! What a relief, after all this time. Needless to say, it was more than worth the wait...
Nearing the end of its much-delayed run, few of the original "big name" players remained from its originally-announced cast [last October Megan Mullally from Will and Grace was meant to be in it, but such were the postponements and restrictions thanks to 'Rona it finally opened without her], and indeed both Miss Mullally's replacement Sutton Foster and Felicity Kendall left weeks ago, but the true "star" of this production was thankfully still in place. Robert Lindsay - a familiar telly sitcom stalwart since the 1970s over here - has carved himself a "second" career in musical theatre. He played the (usually supporting) role of the hapless gangster "Moonface Martin" with hilarious gusto, and very nearly stole the show. In this production, many of the scenes were deliberately played for laughs - including "breaking the fourth wall" in the Friendship duet with "Reno Sweeney", and the scenes involving the lost dog belonging to uptight "Mrs Evangeline Harcourt" [in this production played with brilliant hauteur by Haydn Gwynne].
Speaking of "Reno Sweeney" - the part that was originally Miss Mullaley's, then Miss Foster's - she has always, no matter the production, had the starring role in the show. Last night, and for the last few weeks of its run, the part's taken by Broadway star Rachel York - and heavens! She did us proud. With almost inexhaustible energy, she led the show's key numbers Anything Goes - which was choreographed as a fantastic "Busby Berkeley"-style mass-tapping, swirling, ensemble-cast number that took our breath away! - and the fabulous spectacle of fire, brimstone and burlesque that was Blow, Gabriel, Blow, as well as being the focus of many scenes throughout, from the opening I Get a Kick Out of You and You’re the Top to the closing dance finale reprises of It's De-Lovely and Anything Goes. Hers might not be the "belting" voice of an Ethel Merman, a Patti LuPone or even an Elaine Paige, but (despite some dodgy sound moments, when backing vocalists seemed to be louder than the stars), she was fab-u-lous!
Of the ostensible "leads" - the central love story of smitten "Billy Crocker" (Samuel Edwards) and "Hope Harcourt" (Nicole-Lily Baisden) - there was remarkably little chemistry or charisma in evidence; nice though their voices might be, they made little overall impression in their "big" numbers So Easy To Love or It’s DeLovely.
Much more entertaining were the supporting cast: the semi-slapstick comic turns of Elisha J. Whitney (Gary Wilmot) who, bereft of his spectacles (stolen early on by "Moonface" to prevent him identifying his employee "Billy", who was not meant to be aboard the ship) and relying upon field glasses to see anything, was embroiled in several amusing situations of mistaken identity; and Mrs Harcourt's chosen groom for the reluctant Hope, the "old-moneyed" Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Haydn Oakley), who well-and-truly broke out of his absurdly English shell with his song of passion for "Reno" The Gypsy in Me. Best of all however was Carly Mercedes Dyer's man-mad Moll "Erma" - all squeaky voice and va-va-voom outfits - who got huge applause for her solo number Buddy Beware.
The costumes all the ladies wore (by designer Jon Morrell) were utterly sumptuous, Derek McLane's set designs were lavishly Art Deco and involved a lot of complicated scene-changing (the roll-on-roll-off cabin and prison cell scenes were clever, and the way the on-deck and ballroom scenes were switched was impressive), and director Kathleen Marshall's choreography was flawless.
I haven't enjoyed a show so much for a long, long, long time!
[The audience agreed; the finale received a rousing standing ovation.]
Times have changed,
And we've often rewound the clock,
Since the Puritans got a shock,
When they landed on Plymouth Rock.
If today,
Any shock they should try to stem,
'Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock,
Plymouth Rock would land on them.
In olden days a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking,
But now, God knows,
Anything Goes!
Good authors too who once knew better words,
Now only use four letter words
Writing prose, Anything Goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that you're bound to answer
When I propose,
Anything Goes!
When grandmama whose age is eighty
In night clubs is getting matey with gigolo's,
Anything Goes.
When mothers pack and leave poor father
Because they decide they'd rather be tennis pros,
Anything Goes.
If driving fast cars you like,
If low bars you like,
If old hymns you like,
If bare limbs you like,
If Mae West you like
Or me undressed you like,
Why, nobody will oppose!
When every night,
The set that's smart
Is intruding in nudist parties in studios,
Anything Goes.
The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that you're bound to answer
When I propose,
Anything goes
If saying your prayers you like,
If green pears you like
If old chairs you like,
If back stairs you like,
If love affairs you like
With young bears you like,
Why nobody will oppose!
And though I'm not a great romancer
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that you're bound to answer
When I propose,
Anything goes...
Anything goes!
Indeed.
