The Journal
Written by Amy Taylor, Wednesday 17 February 2010
Review: Anything Goes
Churchill Theatre
* * * *
Cole Porter’s classic musical, Anything Goes, has been re-produced almost constantly since its 1934 debut. This year, it’s the turn of the Edinburgh University Footlights as they tackle Porter’s nautical love triangle, with all the musical numbers that made this show so famous, including “You’re the Top”, “De-Lovely” and of course, “Anything Goes”.
Set aboard the SS American, a luxury liner sailing from New York to London, Anything Goes follows lovelorn Wall Street broker Billy Crocker (Robert Flitcroft), who has snuck aboard in order to see the love of his life, socialite Hope Harcourt (Sarah Haddath). Crocker soon discovers that she’s engaged to uptight Englishman Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Joe Pike), and hatches a plan to win her affections with nightclub singer, Reno Sweeney (Rachel Timney) and fellow stowaway and ‘public enemy number 13′ Moonface Martin (Mark Laverty).
Now in their 21st year, Edinburgh University Footlights have finally staged one of the most revived musicals of the 20th century, and the continuing appeal of the musical is apparent throughout. Written at a time of great financial difficulty, Porter decided not to focus on the economic climate, and instead devote his attention to the cult celebrity of criminals that was prevalent at the time, following the violent deaths of Bonny and Clyde and the now-infamous shooting of ‘public enemy number one’ John Dillinger.
Porter’s take on the original book is a pastiche of the media, high society and the criminals themselves. This cult worship of those in the media spotlight is a phenomenon that continues today, with instant celebrity and notoriety easily achievable via reality TV, rather than through real talent. However, talent is something that this production certainly doesn’t lack, as Helen Raw’s directorial debut for Footlights showcases extraordinary flair for dance and song. Bursting with energy from the very beginning, Anything Goes is a slick and professional homage to a long-lost era, with several standout performances throughout. Timney and Pike, whose turns as the charismatic Reno and baffled Evelyn, were just two of this production’s many delights, in what is a highly entertaining reproduction of a age-old masterpiece.