Anything Goes

Queensland main and ensemble cast of Anything Goes | Image taken by myself. — Queensland main and ensemble cast of Anything Goes | Photograph taken by Myself

For quite some time now, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s Lyric Theatre has played host to a number of newer and more modern stage musicals – entertaining crowds with a mixture of fantasy, talking animals and adaptations of romantic films. In a refreshing change of pace for the venue, the newest Australian production of Cole Porter’s beloved 1930’s musical Anything Goes is gracing the stage for a period of just three weeks. With a star-studded line-up of talent including Caroline O’Connor and Todd McKenney, complemented by excellent material which has stood the test of time and an incredibly memorable tap number, its only major issue to me was that it deserves a season of more than just three weeks in Brisbane.

Lacking any foul language or anything particularly complicated to grasp while watching, this family-friendly stage musical delivers an experience that is both something you can simply sit back and go along for the ride with AND something very satisfying to watch. This is achieved through a combination of quirky if not slightly over-the-top humour and timeless songs which you will possibly leave the theatre humming or have incessantly playing in your mind for hours if not days afterwards. In my case, it was the latter.

The true highlight of the Anything Goes experience is the titular song, performed just before the interval splitting Act 1 and Act 2. Defying the popular quote “Time flies when you’re having fun“, this exhilarating seven and a half minute tap number seems to go on for ages – as almost the entire cast (Led by Caroline O’Connor) get on board to some degree and entertain the crowd with captivating maneuvers and well-timed motions. Although serving as a major highlight of Anything Goes, this song was complemented by a strong compilation of songs including “I Get a Kick Out of You”, “Easy to Love”, “It’s De-Lovely” and “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” – the latter proving to be a new personal favourite of mine.

If there were one issue with my experience watching Anything Goes, it was that I found it hard to get into at first. Although the crowd did not shy away from chuckling at certain points, I found the pacing to be a tad slow at points in Act 1, and some attempts at humour felt a little bit forced for my personal taste. Things did pick up in the Second Act, which was entertaining and attention-grabbing from start to finish.

Anything Goes | Photograph taken by Myself

Although there was solid material to work with, I don’t think that Anything Goes would have been anywhere near as enjoyable or memorable to watch without the strong cast members who lent their voice, personality and talent to their respective characters. The clear highlight in this production was Caroline O’Connor, who portrayed the evangelist / night club singer / all around entertaining personality Reno Sweeney. With a large number of acting, singing and dancing roles throughout the two and a half hour show, she approached them all with a captivating personality and seemingly limitless energy. In my view, it is no wonder that she managed to take home the 2015 Helpmann Award for Best Female Actor in a Musical. Also shining on the stage in my opinion was the duo of Wayne Scott Kermond and Debora Krizak as Moonface Martin and Erma respectively. Both fit their old-school gangster roles perfectly, delivering a consistent level of enthusiasm and quirkiness whenever they appeared on stage.

While these three were my own personal highlights, this doesn’t mean that any of the other cast members were inferior, with a high standard across the board in terms of casting. Although his character was not as prominent as one might have hoped, Todd McKenney aced the role of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, while Alex Rathgeber also shone as the lead male role of Billy Crocker. Other notable cast members include Claire Lyon as Hope Harcourt and Gerry Connolly as the comical Captain of the S.S. American – both of whom I would have liked to have seen more of in the story.

Given that almost the entirety of Anything Goes takes place on an ocean liner, it is only fitting that the set be structured like a ship. The set was appropriately constructed and well used throughout the entire show. The band was positioned on stage and easily hidden by a retractable part of the ship, while additional smaller sets representing different cabins are pulled out when necessary. Granted, I wouldn’t call it the best stage design I have seen in recent stage musical productions, but it was effective in setting the scene.

While seeing the show does come with a risk of spending several days with the titular song incessantly playing in your head on a loop, Anything Goes proved to be an overall entertaining show that I think has something to offer both younger and older audiences. Memorable songs and quirky writing aside, the shining star of this production was the cast, who managed to bring life to both the show and its characters. Given the show is only at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre for a limited time however, you unfortunately don’t have long to go and see it before it travels down to the Sydney Opera House.