Anything Goes (August 4th)

Anything Goes!

It was a last minute decision for my family and I to go see Anything Goes; we booked out tickets at 3pm, and the show started at 8pm the same day. The three of us ended up sitting separately, and I was lucky enough to get the seat closest to the front, with an incredible view. 

Anything Goes is the story of the goings on onboard a cruise ship. It is consistently funny, entertaining, and never really stops moving. The only moments I lost interest were during the two big tap numbers; tap dancing is fun for a while, but eventually it becomes repetitive and boring. Aside from that, though, Anything Goes was uproariously entertaining. The jokes are witty, and still understandable decades after they were written. As a younger audience member (who was sitting surrounded by people in their 60s and 70s), a few of the jokes went over my head, but I also found that I was laughing at jokes that the older audience members around me either didn't understand, or didn't find humorous. It was an interesting blend; sometimes the audience reactions are almost as interesting as the on stage performance. 

My favourite cast member by far was Rachel York as Reno Sweeney. While I'm not overly fond of the character herself, Reno provides a much-needed comic reprieve from the sometimes sickeningly melodramatic conversations of Hope and Billy. Moonface Martin was also an essential part of this comic reprieve; Hope and Billy's relationship would've been unbearable without this. Other characters had a similar impact, such as Erma and Lord Evelyn, but Reno Sweeney was certainly the most entertaining and interesting character of the show. Rachel York's portrayal was everything I could've imagined; having not seen this show before, I didn't have any expectations of portrayals, but based on similar characters in other shows, I think Rachel York absolutely nailed Reno's character. She was incredibly entertaining, and obviously an incredibly skilled dancer and singer. I'd love to hear what her voice sounds like in real life, because obviously Reno's voice was an exceptionally well-done 'character voice'.

Most of what I didn't enjoy about this show is easily eclipsed by what I did enjoy. The character of Hope Harcourt is an absolute bore, and by connection, Billy's is as well. Of course, they can't be eliminated from the story as they are the catalysts for everything that happens on board the cruise ship, but I liked it best when neither of them were on the stage. I also thought the tap numbers could've been shortened; you can only watch the same chaine turns and poses so many times before you start to lose interest. I also thought the characters of John and Luke, the two Chinese gamblers brought on board the ship by a reverend, were somewhat unnecessary. They didn't add a whole lot to the story until near the end, and their comic benefits were essentially non existent. Surprisingly, I did enjoy Erma's story line; it was a bit of a welcome distraction from the main plot line, and was crafted such that her little 'moments' fit into the scene that was happening/about to happen/just happened, not detracting or distracting from the main plot. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed Anything Goes. It was an incredibly entertaining show (I overused that word in this review, but it's the best descriptor of the show), and I would recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone.