Review: ANYTHING GOES, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Following an acclaimed season at the Barbican in 2021, Cole Porter's Anything Goes has set sail on a short UK tour before heading back to the London venue for a limited run.

Set on the SS American, the luxury liner heads out to sea with a variety of characters onboard. Billy Crocker (Samuel Edwards) boards in disguise to pursue his true love Hope Harcourt (Nicole-Lily Baisden) who is due to marry Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Haydn Oakley). Hope's mother Evangeline (Bonnie Langford) is desperate for the wedding to go ahead for financial reasons and Moonface Martin (Denis Lawson) is a loveable rogue who sets out to scam other passengers.

The first Act is very much building up to 'that' number, the show-stopping tap routine for Anything Goes. Kerry Ellis certainly doesn't disappoint as Reno Sweeney, making Kathleen Marshall's sensational choreography look effortless before belting out the final note. Similar joy can be found in Act Two's "Blow Gabriel Blow" which makes for another visual and audio treat. Derek McLane's set design and Jon Morrell's costume design ensure that Anything Goes is a spectacle throughout.

The songs are all very familiar with the likes of "I Get A Kick Out Of You"; "You're The Top" and "It's De-Lovely" and the song and dance is very much the strength of this production. The script stays true to the book but some of the humour feels too old fashioned now and the farcical nature of the show grows a little tiresome at points.

Anything Goes is a visual feast with an incredibly talented cast. If you're a fan of classic old school musicals, it's definitely not one to be missed.

Anything Goes runs at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh until 15 May.

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