Anything Goes

Anything Goes is archetypal 1930s musical comedy, pure and simple. Subsequently re-written on many occasions for regular Broadway revivals, the revised script retains the vaudeville shtick character of the original, while Cole Porter the score is supplemented by even more of the songwriter’s classic songs and standards.

Shining beacon in Miranda Musical Society’s current production is Roslyn Howell’ s Reno Sweeney. On her first entrance I could have sworn she was channeling the role’s brilliant originator, a young Ethel Merman. She’s stylish, glamorous, bold and brassy, bringing a real depth of professional experience and polish to a performance, where gesture, movement and delivery of dialogue are all delightfully nuanced. Her ‘Broadway Belt’ ensures that title song Anything Goes and Blow, Gabriel, Blow, are showstoppers. The four Angels who make up her Evangelistic cabaret act consistently danced up a storm.

Gavin Leahy and Leanne Ansell are also very engaging in the romantic leads. Gavin has dash and charm to spare, singing and hoofing his way through the leading man role of Billy Crocker, while Leanne carries off the heroine, Hope Harcourt, with suitable sweetness and vulnerability, singing  agreeably and floating through romantic dance routines.

Choreography by Natalie Leather, in her first full scale production, is highly commendable. The seven-minute tap dancing finale to Act 1 must be one of community musical theatre’s biggest challenges. She managed to achieve the balance between novices and flashy, accomplished tappers effectively, probably helped by the fact that often all eyes were transfixed on Roslyn Howell, who seemed to lift all around her, or drawn to the Angels.

What disappointed on opening night was the failure of the comic characters to nail the gags. The script is basically almost continuous blatant vaudeville shtick, with the exception of the odd romantic moments. This extends to vaudeville sight gags written into the script, which were also underplayed. Vaudeville is such a specific tradition, with very particular timing and a sense of delivery vital. Nuances were missing, and responses to cues, sometimes rushed, were also sometimes dragged out. On opening night key lines were also fumbled. A little more research would have been beneficial. This isn’t the sort of natural dialogue with character driven comedy more common nowadays.

In the three main comedy roles, Garth Saville (Moonface), Stephen Halstead (Evelyn) and Katie McLennan (Erma) each had terrific comic songs to deliver, and I’m pleased to say that in each they found the comic level missing from the dialogue.

I must also mention the support given to Katie in Buddy, Beware by the quartet of sailors. While I’m told they have vastly different levels of dance experience, the choreography was well-pitched and carried off with aplomb.

Yet another stylish, functional set from Bob Peet combined with mostly attractive and appropriate costuming to ensure a visually engaging production.

Musical Director Andy Peterson’s orchestra did full justice to the arrangements, though on occasion during vocals its volume stretched the capacity of the sound system.

I commend Miranda's production of the musical comedy Anything Goes for its song and dance, and especially for its stunning leading lady. Hopefully having had the chance to work to their first audience, the timing and delivery of the comics will also hit the mark more regularly at subsequent performances.

Neil Litchfield

Photographer: Andre Moonen