When Billy Crockett discovers the girl he loves is engaged, he stows away on the SS American with the intentions of winning her back. There is a case of mistaken identity onboard and shenanigans ensue. There is a fairly large cast and number of eccentric characters on board the ship which means things get out of control very quickly!
While Anything Goes is technically brilliant, it fell slightly flat for me. The sets and costumes are both absolutely stunning, the cast are more than capable and a fair number of the songs are familiar. The dance sequences are impressive but in some scenes last just a little too long. The audience reception in the King's Theatre was fantastic and I feel I may be in the minority with my opinion.
Act Two seemed to wrap things up quite quickly in comparison to the unusually long first Act. I enjoyed that all of the principal cast got their chance to shine whether it be with a solo number or with a witty line. The humour of Anything Goes is old fashioned and in normal circumstances would prompt eye rolling, but with well timed delivery, it works!
It is hard not to compare Anything Goes to other musicals that have been touring the UK recently. I think I may have been spoiled with the amount of quality of shows I have been seeing lately. On its own this is a decent production, but it doesn't shine quite as brightly as the likes of High Society or Top Hat.
Anything Goes is on tour around the UK.
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