Cole Porter would have been delighted to see Drayton Entertainment's production of his musical Anything Goes. The music and lyrics are as relevant as ever, as is the need to escape reality for a little while and doing so in flamboyant style.
Anything Goes opened on Broadway in 1934, an opulent production in defiance of tough times and continues as one of the worlds’ most popular musicals.
The show is set on the high seas aboard the S.S. American, a luxury cruise ship with a cargo of captivating characters up to all sorts of trouble. Gangsters, aristocrats, show girls, celebrity chasers and sailors mingle over cocktails, zingers, wisecracks and double entendres, prologue to the production numbers that feature Cole Porters’ classics.
Some of the jokes misfire but all is forgiven. The lustrous musical performances provide the audience the escape they perhaps didn’t even know they craved.
Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney is en route from New York to England. Her friend Billy Crocker has stowed away to be near Hope(ful) Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Gangster Moonface Martin and cohort Erma Latour, Hopes’ haughty mother Evangeline and bumbling tycoon Elisha Whitney add more intriguing nonsense to a rather incoherent plot that nobody cares to question.
Within a cast of 20, Drayton Entertainment darling Jayme Armstrong plays the lead Reno Sweeney, the role made famous by brassy Broadway performer Ethel Merman.
Armstrong has a pleasant voice and the rosy confidence with a touch of goofy required for numbers such as of I Get a Kick Out of You and You’re the Top.
Patrick Cook, recently of the Toronto production of Kinky Boots, plays Wall Street broker Billy Crocker. His appealing manner and easy tenor make him a hit.
Keely Hutton as American debutante Hope Harcourt sings a poignant soprano in the ballad Goodbye, Little Dream, Goodbye. Hutton and Cook have chemistry as their duet All Through the Night reveals.
Tim Funnell is hilarious as Hope’s British fiancé, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. His foppish ways and loud British accent have the audience laughing in anticipation every time he appears onstage. “Step in it!” he cries in an effort to speak demanding American.
Sheldon Davis is bursting with energy as Moonface Martin, an intense gangster hoping to work his way up to the top of the FBI’s most-wanted list. However he gives himself away in his sweet rendition of Be Like the Bluebird. Davis is memorable from his Drayton Entertainment roles in Sexy Laundry and the Odd Couple. Lee-Anne Galloway as his very friendly sidekick Erma Latour is engaging in her performance with the sailors in Buddie, Beware. Her enjoyable aside commentary throughout the number is true to the original productions.
Favourites Karen K. Edissi as the mother and Keith Savage as the tycoon are the cherries on top in their campy roles that take them from sublime to ridiculous.
Director and choreographer Michael Lichtefeld has helmed a flawless production that incorporates so many elements, from tap dancing to vaudeville antics. The positive energy of his cast is phenomenal and contagious. The dance numbers are captivating, and richly talented ensemble performers add much.
Costume designer Rachel Berchtold has created an array of colourfully blending and beautiful outfits that exemplify the fashions and fabrics of the era. Her efforts greatly enhance the production, adding much “eye candy” to the spectacle. Costumes are individualized above and beyond expectation.
Set designer Douglas Paraschuk has created a chameleon set featuring a bar that escapes to the ceiling, grand staircases, a revolving ships’ hub, art deco accents, a sultry nightclub, even a jail. The set changes seem as effortless as changing shoes.
Music director Jeannie Wyse leads a six-piece band through the score featuring classics like It’s De-lovely, and the beloved Anything Goes.
The original book is by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse.
This version of Anything Goes was originally produced on Broadway at Lincoln Centre theatre in 1987.
Anything Goes runs until May 29. Tickets may be purchased in person at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, online at www.stjacobscountryplayhouse.com or by calling the box office at 519-747-7788 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866).
