Anything Goes Review

I have long been a sucker for the swing era songs, growing up on Berlin, Porter, et all. But this was my first time actually hearing them in context and watching a non-Gershwin full musical of that time. I’ll start by saying that, while highly enjoyable, this won’t become a favourite I return to repeatedly. Unsurprisingly, the plot is full of shenanigans and confusions, a heritage that clearly harks all the way back to opera buffa. And the characters are almost stereotypes, no real depth to any; all to be expected. So if this is your cup of tea, then Anything Goes will be nothing short of a delight.

However, though the material may not have always managed to keep me on the edge of my seat, not so the production. Rarely have I seen such quality across the board: the sets, costumes, transitions, all top-notch and gorgeous. For once, I found the sound balance to be just right: I could hear the singers perfectly without the band being compromised at all, and everything at a volume that was enjoyable rather than threatening to burst my ear drums! The only downside was that the purely instrumental sections during some of the numbers failed to mask the sound of shoes, slightly marring the romantic feel of the scene.

As for the cast, they were as solid as they come. While perhaps not the strongest dance show I have seen (42nd Street at Theatre Royal Drury Lane a few years ago tapped circles around this one, for example), there wasn’t a single weak moment from anyone. Samuel Edwards’s Billy was effortless in his charm and humour, bringing some very nice singing to the stage. Carly Mercedes Dyer took the role of Erma and made it star material: she was hilarious at every single moment and, even with the pinched voice the character requires, showcased her incredible vocal chops, very deservedly bringing down the house during the bows. Felicity Kendall I must admit was a little disappointing, not because there was anything wrong with her Evangeline, but because there was nothing special either. Nicole-Lily Baisden had the tough job of playing Hope, the only straight man out of the main characters, so can perhaps be forgiven for being rather forgettable, though she was the only cast member to have a vocal crack. Gary Wilmot and Haydn Oakley, as Elisha and Lord Evelyn respectively, delivered their roles with aplomb, moments of hilarity popping up here and there.

But the night belonged to Robert Lindsey and Sutton Foster. Knowing the former only from his role in My Family, I did not expect to be blown away and yet I was. He inhabited Moonface Martin thoroughly, maintaining the audience enthralled with nothing more than an empty hat and a half-hearted “tweet tweet”, and expertly keeping us right in the palm of his hand. And then the lady of the hour. I am sure that Sutton Foster’s name on the poster brought more than a few punters in (I, for one, would have possibly missed the show in favour of another if not for her) so expectations were high. But there was no need to worry, she lived up to her reputation and made clear why she won a Tony for this very role. Impeccable singing and irreproachable dancing, it was her acting that truly elevated the performance to another level. I have rarely seen comedic timing so good nor such a seamless integration of the character and their feelings at any given moment. She made us laugh to tears with her dancing before whipping out impressive splits mid-routine, stoked the energy of the whole cast and audience in the big group numbers whilst barely getting out of breath, and lit up the stage every time she came on. Her chemistry with Lindsey is the stuff of dreams, making me wish the story had their characters together more often. Nowhere was it clearer than in their duet which had the most endearing break of the fourth wall: Lindsey looking out at the audience, commenting on all the faces, then saying in his natural British accent: “gosh, it’s good to be back!”. The standing ovation that followed proved we all feel like that after a year and half without shows. He then continued, cracking up Foster repeatedly before asking “shall we get back in character now?”. Moments like this are why nothing will ever compare to live theatre.

Conclusion: Solid [what's this?]

Anything Goes opened at the Barbican Theatre in July 2021.