REVIEW: Anything Goes (tour) at the New Wimbledon Theatre

Monday 2^nd February 2015. Rating: ****

For those not familiar with Anything Goes the musical, summing up this Cole Porter classic in a sentence is easy: Farce, failed gangsters and tap-dancing sailors. Directed by Daniel Evans, this adaptation provides a heady mixture of all three. The trouble is, there’s not much more to it than that- though this is largely more a reflection of the old-time musical than of the production itself.

Though the comedy certainly picked up for Act 2, there was something slightly clunky about the first act. Richard Kent’s clever upended cruise ship set provided an effective and adaptable backdrop for all scenes and the rippling swimming pool at its centre was a stroke of pure genius. 

However, the cast at times appeared to be treading a perilous gangplank. They often appeared unsure of how far to take the farce, whether to play things straight or fully embrace potential moments of comedic value. This resulted in a tendency to, and no pun intended, occasionally go overboard. 

Hugh Sachs was a prominent example of this with his tentative Moonface Martin and took a while to warm to his role. Fortunately, he morphed into a deliciously camp figure throughout Act 2, and his pan-faced rendition of Be Like The Bluebird left audience members tittering.

Leading man Matt Rawle portrayed a cheeky Billy Crocker, albeit slightly too smooth to be believable as the hapless lovestruck stockbroker. Whilst easy to watch and entertaining, he was outshone in every way by Debbie Kurup, who oozed sex appeal and brought a fresh and modern edge to the role of evangelist Reno Sweeney. Her performance was tinged with just the right amount of irony needed to breathe life into this old-time tale, and she showed an impressive stage presence during Blow, Gabriel, Blow.

Alongside Kurup, Stephen Matthews provided a dose of that much-needed farce in his brilliantly comic portrayal of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Pompous, naive and fun, he and Alex Young as a breathy and flirtatious Erma both showed that it’s not only the main roles who are able to dominate the stage.

And this was true of the entire production. It was impossible not to tap along to the classic 1930s songs, which have lost none of their appeal. Timeless numbers such as I Get A Kick Out Of You and of course the musical’s title song were executed with flair, and Alistair David’s ensemble choreography was a treat. 

In fact, with the exception of Debbie Kurup’s powerful numbers, the cast were at their best in unison. It wasn’t just a row of identical sailors, impossible to tell one from the other. Each had a personality of his own, an extra touch which added life to the overall production- and the iconic tap-dancing did not disappoint. A delicious, delightful and de-lovely evening.