Director Dean Bryant’s incarnation of Cole Porter’s classic musical Anything Goes unabashedly hams it up; every comedic moment is delivered with a wink and a nudge. You’ll either be delighted at its cheeky cheesiness or wish it weren’t so on the nose.
There is absolutely no question that Caroline O’Connor as Reno Sweeney is the star of the show. Every time she is on stage she steals the scene with her effortless performance; be that her sharp quips, her hilarious facial expressions, her faultless singing or her tap-dancing. Wayne Scott Kermond as Moonface Martin makes for a formidable sparring partner for Reno, while Todd McKenney’s eccentric Lord Evelyn Oakleigh also manages to induce roars of laughter. Peter Casey does a fine job of leading the orchestra on stage, particularly for the standout scene – unsurprisingly the final song for Act One, Anything Goes. Stars, ensemble and orchestra give it their best here; in fact, it’s such a thrill that Act Two lacks excitement in comparison.
What also leaves a bad taste in the mouth is the Anything Goes reprise after bows, which is sung in Chinese, as led by the two Chinese characters, Luke (Aljin Abella) and John (Nicholas Kong), and complete with ‘oriental’ hand gestures/dance moves. There’s not much room to move when the script can’t be changed – that’s why direction is so important – but the attempt to negate the racist caricatures comes across more tokenistic than redeeming (although it was a relief to see Asian actors at the very least), as the incredibly white audience are happy to guffaw away at Kermond’s unnecessary yellow face impersonation. It’s an uncomfortable bump in what is for the most part a smooth, funny, upbeat, enjoyable cruise.
