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A CurtainUp London Review
Anything goes
By Ben Clover
|
Evangeline Harcourt: Alcohol has not touched my lips
Elisha Whitney: You mean you've found a short cut? |
The Nautical Quartet
(Photo: Catherine Ashmore) |
The National Theatre had a little criticism after producing musicals like this. My Fair Lady and South Pacific were seen as cashings-in or pandering to public taste, as if this were a bad thing. Everyone knows that musicals make money, whether in the Lyttleton or on a transfer to the West End, and a portion of this goes straight back over the river to the National's coffers. The glamour of theatre is an undeniable part of its attraction, Anything Goes is an embodiment and recollection of it from a very specific era.
Cole Porter's world, the one he crams aboard the SS America is the same as we would find in the pages of Heat had it been running then and edited by PG Wodehouse. Full of joyous archetypes -- the young lovers, the vamp, the drunk and a foppish Englishman -- the plot puts them in a confined space and lets them bump into each other. The effect is comic and very, very tuneful; for example "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "You're the Top" and of course the title track, Anything Goes.
The plot is simple and reliable: confused identities, mis-matched lovers and super sized characters. It all ends happily of course, with more onstage marriages than a Moonie convention, but gets there with enough charm to force your forgiveness. The plot is there as a vehicle, a delivery system for its sophisticated passengers: the songs.
Cole Porter is perhaps the greatest of a crop of songwriters that distinguished the period and Anything Goes is arguably the best collection of Porter songs in a single musical. They all have lyrics that demand concentration if you are to enjoy their wit fully. My favourite was "You're the tower, that leans in Pisa. You're the smile, on the Mona Lisa" from "You're The Top" but there are plenty of other contenders.
Stand out performances were all around but in a crowded field Sally Ann Triplett and Simon Day as Reno and English Evelyn were excellent. Their dance to "The Gypsy in Me" was hilarious and very sweet. The central lovers "a-twain" (John Barrowman and Mary Stockley) were very good but outflanked by the eccentricity of the other characters. Two bit gangster Moonface (Martin Marquez) was a fine, scene stealing example of this, although his greatest moment is actually offstage with a Tommy gun and a clay pigeon. But it is really Triplett's performance that defines the show; her sheer presence in set pieces like "Blow Gabriel Blow" could make you think you were in the golden age of Broadway Theatre 70 years ago. It's also a tribute to her and Day's acting that the marriage of their disparate characters seems normal rather than grotesque.
It might have seemed like Reno's show entirely were it not for the awesome dance numbers. Stephen Mear's choreography showcased both individual virtuosity and feats of ensemble dancing that made you gape. "Blow Gabriel Blow" showed both elements best and gradually teased the audience's involvement back to levels they'd reached by the end of the first half.
Overall this is a hugely enjoyable, highly stylish revival with credit due all around, not least to the technicians. The set design team pull off some impressive transformations in this production; a revolving stage allows us onto the deck, the bar and even the brig of the SS America. Trevor Nunn and the crafts team must have designed the lighting and look of the show minutely, for a piece with such potential for over-indulgence, it dodges the garish at every step. Between the design and the cast the whole enterprise seems effortlessly stylish, as all style must be, and the evening is mightily entertaining. If you are in the market for a musical, catch Anything Goes before it sails away.
| Anything Goes
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter Original Book by PG Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse New Book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman Directed by Trevor Nunn Starring: John Barrowman, Simon Day, David Delve, Paul Grunert, Barrie Ingham, Martin Marquez, Annette McLaughlin, Mary Stockley, Susan Tracy, Sally Ann Triplett With: Christopher Bennett, Philip Browne, Anthony Cable, Raymond Chai, Yao Chin, Leigh Constantine, Elizabeth Cooper-Gee, Edwina Cox, Julia-Ann Dixon, Jason Gardiner, Shaun Henson, Julia Hinchcliffe, Christopher Howell, Emma-Jay Hurst, Adam Jones, Sarah Keeton, Duncan McVicar, Matthew Malthouse, Gary Milner, Lisa O'Hare, Joseph Pitcher, Nick Searle, Corey Skaggs, Nicola Sloane, Duncan Smith, Phil Snowden, Rachel Stanley, Claire Taylor, Andrew Wrght, Danielle Young Set Designer: John Gunter Choreographer: Stephen Mear Costume Design: Anthony Powell Lighting Designer: David Hersey Musical Superviser and Director/Vocal Arranger: Gareth Valentine Associate Director: Andrew MacBean Musical Arranger/Orchestrator: Michael Gibson Music Director: James Dunsmore Original Dance Arrangements: Tom Fay Assistant Choreographer: Nikki Woollaston Sound: Paul Groothuis Associate Costume Designer: Mark Bouman Resident Director: Jamie Lloyd Running time: Two hours 50 minutes with one interval . Box Office: 0870 890 1109 Booking to 17th January 2004 Reviewed by Ben Clover based on 8th October 2003 Performance at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine Street, London WC2. (Tube: Covent Garden) |
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