Theatre Review - Anything Goes
It's easy to see why Kathleen Marshall’s buoyant, award-winning production of Cole Porter’s musical Anything Goes has proved so popular. It’s pure escapism and brilliantly staged. Set on a transatlantic ocean liner (imaginatively realised by designer Derek McLane) bound for London, we are transported to another world. Marshall’s choreography is sensational, Jon Morrell’s costumes are suitably glitzy and Hugh Vanstone’s evocative lighting adds to the magic. The show includes a full-sized orchestra (led by MD Mark Aspinall), tap dancing galore and plenty of silly disguises and gags. On board the luxury SS American are an eclectic mix: Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Kerry Ellis), financial broker Billy Crocker (Samuel Edwards) and his permanently sozzled client Elisha Whitney (Simon Callow) collide with debutante Hope Harcourt (flawlessly performed by the understudy Alexandra Wright on the night I went), her mismatched English fiancé Lord Oakleigh (Haydn Oakley) and mother Evangeline