Anything Goes – Barbican, London

A review of Anything Goes at the Barbican. Not their usual offering, but this all-bells-and-whistles production is a hit with audiences and critics alike.

Anything Goes

Let me start by saying – I loved this production of Anything Goes. The TLDR version is as follows:

• Set: amazing
• Costumes: beautiful
• Leads: flawless
• Song and dance numbers: wow!
• Plot: who cares, not important

It might seem a strange choice for the Barbican to put on a full-scale musical. Other things I have seen in the theatre here have been more of the Shakespearean or niche/foreign language variety (like this, this or this). But from reading other reviews I suddenly understood the timing: Anything Goes is a 1934 musical. In 1934, much like now, things had been a bit terrible. And still were a bit terrible, so people needed cheering up. Sound familiar? So a stroke of genius, I think, to have staged this now.

Anything Goes has gone through several iterations since its debut. This is a revival of the 2011 revival of a 1987 revival – you get the idea. What is genius about the version at the Barbican is that Sutton Foster is in the lead role of Reno Sweeney. She won a Tony for this role in the 2011 Broadway version, and seems to be having an immense amount of fun reprising it. Foster was not the person initially announced in the role, and there was an unrelated twitterstorm at one point, but having seen the show now I can’t imagine a better Reno Sweeney. Incidentally, director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall was also at the helm of the 2011 version.

What A Show!

I loved this show from start to finish. Derek McLane’s set is just wonderful, evoking perfectly the glamour of a transatlantic steamship crossing. Everybody’s costumes are perfect thanks to Jon Morrell; from the crisp white sailors’ uniforms to the beautiful dresses and tailored suits. The plot is flimsy, to be sure. While sailing to England, stowaway Billy Crocker must try to win his love, Hope Harcourt, away from dippy English aristocrat Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Meanwhile nightclub singer Reno Sweeney is in love with Crocker. Plus gangster Moonface Martin is on board, with the lusty Erma. And there’s Crocker’s hapless boss, Elisha J. Whitney.

It’s silly like the best Shakespearean comedies, but really the plot is just a backdrop to the main event, which is the musical numbers. The music and lyrics are by Cole Porter, and audiences will recognise several songs, including the eponymous Anything Goes, as well as I Get A Kick Out Of You and It’s De-Lovely (added later to the original musical). The production starts with some great singing and a little dancing, before building to a crescendo with knock-out, full-on tap numbers before and after the interval. The audience (including me) were beside themselves, soaking up the cast’s obvious joy.

Sutton Foster lives up to being the main draw – she is funny, a great actor and singer, and leads the big dance numbers masterfully. I was surprised by Robert Lindsay as Moonface Martin; I know him mainly from his TV work so wasn’t expecting such an accomplished musical theatre skillset. And a special shoutout must go to Carly Mercedes Dyer as the scene-stealing Erma.

Please go and see Anything Goes. It’s absolutely De-Lovely, and a perfect antidote to the harsh outside world, just as it was on its 1930s debut.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 5/5

Anything Goes on until 31 October (Sutton Foster confirmed until 10 October)

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