In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking
Firstly, let me state that I'm not the biggest fan of musicals, unlike the rest of my family who will take every opportunity to go and see any old nonsense where they belt out a cheesy tune or two (being dragged to Mamma Mia remains a particular low point in my list of theatre going experiences). However, with the notable exceptions of Les Mis, Matilda and Hamilton, if I am going to like a musical, it's going to be one of the classics (and some would argue that Les Mis is a classic given it debuted 36 years now!) - so in a temporary moment of weakness I agreed to get on one of them train things to head into London and go and see Anything Goes. Although, of course, having agreed to see it I then realised I knew nothing about it (other than the title tune) so I had no idea whether I was going to enjoy it or not - but by then it was too late...
So, yesterday, after a minor panic when we realised we'd never actually received the tickets, we all pulled on our best jeans (or best set of holes connected by strips of denim in the case of my eldest) and headed to the Barbican theatre. "Who's in it?" I asked - and you can imagine my unbridled joy when I heard that both Kevin Clifton and Faye-From-Steps were involved. But fortunately, my wife was confused and they're in the other classic musical she's off to London to see at the weekend - Anything Goes features the slightly more impressive line-up of Robert Lindsay, Felicity Kendal, Gary Wilmot and Sutton Foster (who?). But more on them later...
The lights go down and the band starts - and it's obvious they've got more than a few people hidden away in that pit (15 apparently). It's an impressively full sound which swings along nicely throughout the show. Also impressive are the sets - starting in a Manhattan bar before moving to the ship, with cabins wheeled on and off throughout the show in a well co-ordinated fashion. However, you get so blasé about the fantastic sets in theatres these days that you really have to stop and think about the design and operation in order to appreciate them.
And being honest, who goes and sees a musical for the sets? It's all about the cast - can they act/sing/dance as required? And funnily enough, they can! It's fair to say that the quality of the songs throughout the show is somewhat variable (some feel very much like filler) but all the cast work with what they're given to do and, at the very least, do a fine job with them. However, the high points are extremely high indeed - the title track and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" are both hugely impressive numbers with what feels like a massive crowd on stage for ages, dancing as if their life depends on it.
Calling out individual performances, it's very much down to what they're given to do by the show - Nicole-Lily Baisden as Hope Harcourt and Haydn Oakley as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (interesting coincidence on the surnames) are both perfectly fine, but it's fair to say they're not the best written parts ever in a musical. Felicity Kendal as Evangeline Harcourt and Gary Wilmot as Elisha Whitney are not included for their singing or dancing ability (but given they're 74 and 67 respectively, I think we can forgive them that) but display good comedic timing in what is a surprisingly (for me, at least) funny show.
Given slightly more to do is Carly Dyer as Erma, the funny sex bomb working her way through the sailors and showing an impressive vocal range delivering "Buddie Beware". Samuel Edwards as Billy Crocker actually has a lot to do throughout the show and is great - but is somewhat unfortunate in that a lot of what he has to do involves working with the two main actors we have yet to discuss, so he often has the attention somewhat diverted away from him.
So, first - Robert Lindsay. It's a fine comedic and charismatic performance which shines throughout - and we need to mention that he's 71 and I can only hope I have half that amount of energy when I'm 61. He has great chemistry with all the other characters he has to interact with - too much so in the case of making Sutton Foster get the giggles during their number together, which they worked with very well. All I can say is that he's so good in this that I forgive him for My Family - and in my book it's just not possible to get a higher accolade than that.
So - finally, who is this Sutton Foster that I'd never heard of then? Well, it turns out I've never heard of her because she's been far too busy on Broadway to make it over here - winning two Tony awards - one for Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2002 and the other for Anything Goes in 2011. And well, she was simply phenomenal - dancing and singing of the highest calbre which was just a joy to watch. And she's only in the show until October, so if you want to see her you'll have to get your skates on.
All in all, it's a high-energy show that totally puts a smile on your face - it has its less impressive moments, but they just let you (and the cast) get your breath back. And in Sutton Foster it has a truly stellar performance - which was a most joyous educational experience for me considering I had absolutely no idea who she was. So it's a whole-hearted recommendation from someone who doesn't really like musicals.
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