Festival Theatre, Edinburgh – until 15th May 2022
Reviewed by James Knight
5*****
‘Anything Goes’ is an ideal term to describe the world right now – who knows what’s around the corner, what the next day’s newspaper headlines will bring. Thank goodness the award-winning production, originally performed at the Barbican, is here to lift us out of whatever pit we might feel our collective selves in.
Billy Crocker (Samuel Edwards) is in a bind. The love of his life, Hope Harcourt (Nicole-Lily Baisden) is boarding the SS American to wed her English fiancé Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Haydn Oakley), but his boss, Elisha Whitney (Clive Hayward*) wants him to go sell shares for him on Wall St. When Billy stows away to follow Hope, he takes the passport and identity of Public Enemy Number One, and teams up with Public Enemy Number Thirteen, Moonface Martin (Denis Lawson) and Erma (Carly Mercedes Dyer). With the help of his new friends, and old friend and celebrity Reno Sweeney (Kerry Ellis), Billy hopes to win back the love of his life whilst avoiding his boss and the authorities onboard. All aboard for high seas hijinks…
Over the years, ‘Anything Goes’ has remained popular with its classic songs and constant comedy a winning formula with audiences, and this production is no exception. The whole cast maintains an easy likeability with each other and the audience, in particular Ellis and Lawson, whose rendition of ‘Friendship’, was an instant highlight of the show. While they start friendly, the song settles into a gentle rivalry that threatens to derail the show until the conductor has to take back control.
Kerry Ellis amazes as well at the end of Act One, leading the ensemble in the title number, an epic tap routine that leaves the audience breathless, a euphoria that continues through the second act, into ‘Blow, Gabriel, Blow’. Special mention also to Carly Mercedes Dyer’s Erma, who, while persistently and hilariously luring the various sailors of the SS American to numerous nooks and crannies about the ship, launches into a spectacular performance of ‘Buddie, Beware’.
Simply put, ‘Anything Goes’ is a guarantee of a good time, with the whole audience leaving with smiles on their faces.
*Clive Howard is the Understudy for Elisha Whitney, normally performed by Simon Callow