 |
| Sutton Foster (center) leads the ensemble in "Blow, Gabriel Blow" |
 |
| Colin Donnell, Sutton Foster and Joel Grey |
 |
| Laura Osnes and Colin Donnell (all photos: Joan Marcus) |
As light and frothy as a bubbly glass of pink champagne, the
2011 revival of Cole Porter’s ‘Anything Goes’ sails into the Stephen Sondheim
Theatre with no pretensions. One could argue the threadbare story and politically incorrect portrayal of Asians but that’s beside the point when the aim is to
display a string of sterling and gorgeous songs performed by a talented cast.
The story follows Reno Sweeney, a onetime evangelist
turned nightclub star; Moonface Martin, a gangster hiding from the law by
pretending to be a priest; and Billy Crocker, a young stockbroker who winds up
pretending to be a sailor and then a gangster to pursue a beautiful debutante.
That debutante happens to be Hope Harcourt whose fortune
seeking mother, Evangeline, has betrothed her daughter to the wealthy Lord
Evelyn Oakleigh. In the meantime the ship’s captain is desperately looking for
a few famous names to parade before his celebrity hungry passengers.
Those shenanigans aside, each of Porter’s songs are given
the coup de grace treatment complete with exhausting choreography. Just
consider these classic songs that fill the score:
“I Get A Kick Out of You”
“You’re The Top”
“Easy to Love”
“Friendship”
“It’s De-Lovely”
“Anything Goes”
“Blow, Gabriel Blow”
And it’s easy to overlook the corny love stories and monkey
business that link them.
 |
| Colin Donnell and Sutton Foster |
 |
| Joel Grey and Sutton Foster |
As Reno, Sutton Foster does not display the pure sass or
even sex appeal that one would want in the performer. But what she brings is a
go-for-broke delivery of each number and boundless energy with enough of slight
street-smart attitude to win this year’s Tony Award for best actress in a
musical.
Sutton holds her own against the comic talents of Joel Grey
as Moonface and whose constant mugging earns approval and laughs from the
audience; Adam Godley as Lord Oakley who unexpectedly and literally commandeers
the entire stage in “The Gypsy In Me” to liven up the second act; with Jessica
Walter as Hope’s mother and John McMartin in the minor role of Elisha Whitney
who both steal the spotlight in their limited scenes.
The ingénues have a field day in the production with the
lovely Laura Osnes as Hope Harcourt proving her durability as a Broadway
performer and Jessica Stone as Erma bringing her own share of laughs as one of
Moonface’s partners in crime.
 |
| Adam Godley, Laura Osnes, Jessica Walter, John McMartin and Colin Donnell |
 |
| Sutton Foster leads the cast in the title song. |
If anyone gets lost in the proceedings it is Colin Donnell
as Billy. He is perfectly fine in the role. Dapper and handsome with a talent to bring a
singing and dancing justice in his numbers, he is simply overshadowed by the
talent around him.
Director and choreography Kathleen Marshall heralds her cast
in a wholesome bundle to charm the audience with slight pauses for drama and
playfulness bridging her expected energetic choreography in yet another
revival. Her assemblage of performers in the title song and “Blow, Gabriel Blow” almost
threatens to make the show a display for these numbers at the expense of what
little story there is.
The art deco ship set of Derek McClane and matching costumes
designs of Martin Pakledinaz completes the experience of transport the audience to an evening of careless delights.
During the intermission the patron seated next to me
complained to her companion that story lack any heft and found the some of the
characterizing insulting. She obviously came in with an expectation of
something weightier or revised for today’s audiences which is not the purpose of
‘Anything Goes’. This production is so infectious she was
applauding and her crowing her approval at the curtain call.
The DETAILS
- Website: anythinggoesonbroadway.com
- Where: Stephen Sondheim Theatre
- Location: 123 West 43rd Street, New York City
- When: Tue 7pm; Wed-Sat 8pm; Wed, Sat & Sun 2pm
- Running Time: 2 hours 45 min (including intermission)
- Ticket Prices: $92-$137
- Opening: Apr 7, 2011 (previews from Mar 10, 2011)
- Closing: Open Run
- Book Online: telecharge.com
- Book by Phone: 1-800-432-7250
- Cast Recording: Anything Goes 2011 New Broadway Cast Recording (available Sep 20, 2011)
0 comments:
Post a Comment