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ACT ONE
The luxury liner SS America is preparing to sail, the captain and crew preparing to welcome the passengers aboard (There'll always be a Lady Fair / There's no Cure like Travel). The press are present to snap the celebrities joining the voyage but Charlie Chaplin has cancelled his passage leaving the photographers to search for other photo opportunities. These include Reno Sweeney, a sultry evangelistic nightclub singer with her trio of sexy dancers, and society couple Lord Evelyn Oakleigh and his fiance Hope Harcourt, accompanied by her mother Evangeline Harcourt. Also joining the ship are petty gangster Moonface Martin, on the run and disguised as a priest, and Erma, the girlfriend of his partner in crime, Snake Eyes Johnson - who failed to make the rendesvous. Meanwhile, Billy Crocker, who does not have a ticket for the voyage, is aboard ship receiving some last minute instructions from his boss Elisha Whitney, a Wall Street banker. On leaving the ship he is to sell a batch of shares, but when he discovers his old flame Hope Harcourt he cannot leave. FBI agents come aboard looking for the disguised Moonface but Billy inadvertently saves the gangster by leading the FBI to a real priest, who is promptly arrested and taken off ship. A grateful Moonface gives Billy the ticket and fake passport he was holding for Snake Eyes so that Billy can remain on board. The ship sails to much celebration (Bon Voyage). Billy then bumps into Reno. They are old friends but Billy is unaware that Reno is interested in him romantically. She complains that he misled her to thinking he loved her by acting gentlemanly towards her, but Billy explains that he is in love with another girl but thinks he is not good enough for her. Reno tries to cheer him up (You're the Top). Encouraged, Billy determines to find Hope, and when Evelyn leaves them alone to be sea-sick Billy snatches the opportunity to romance her (Easy to Love). Reno, who has been watching, wistfully reflects on her feelings for Billy (I Get a Kick out of You). Billy's boss, Whitney, meanwhile is hoping to romance Hope's mother Evangeline whom he is preparing to meet in his cabin (The Crew Song). Moonface arrives to steal Whitney's glasses so that he won't recognise Billy and realise he is still on board. Meanwhile, Billy is forced into hiding as his new persona is revealed as the alias of Snake Eyes Johnson, Public Enemy number one. Erma steals him an ill-fitting sailors uniform as a disguise. Reno meets Moonface, they too are old friends and agree to work together to help Billy win Hope (Friendship). Billy and Moonface try to convince Evangeline that Evelyn is insane and Reno tries to seduce Evelyn but cannot go through with it when she realises she is attracted to him. Billy again romances Hope, and though she does at first not wish to admit it, soon it becomes evident she still loves him (It's De-lovely). Billy is overjoyed. Reno and her girls lead everyone in a celebration (Anything Goes).
ACT TWO
Billy is recognised by the crew, who apprehend him as the notorious criminal whose alias he has usurped, but the Captain orders his release as he is the biggest celebrity on board (Public Enemy Number One). Reno and her girls are announced to begin their cabaret (Blow Gabriel Blow). In her evangelist routine, Reno encourages everyone to forgive their sins and Evelyn confesses to having had a tryst with a Japanese girl, Plum-Blossom, many years earlier. Billy admits he is not really the notorius Snake Eyes Johnson and loses his celebrity status, he and Moonface are sent to the brig. Hope feels her dream is lost (Goodbye Little Dream, Goodbye). In the Brig, Moonface tries to cheer up Billy, (Be like the Blue Bird). Hope sends Billy a note and they sing of their love (All Through the Night). Lord Evelyn then realises that he loves Reno not Hope (The Gypsy in Me), but plans to go through with the wedding as a matter of honour. Erma meanwhile, finds herself surrounded by sailors, all keen to marry her (Buddy Beware). Billy an Moon escape from the brig by swapping clothes with two chinese who are due for release, tricking them into a game of strip poker. They arrive at the wedding ceremony just in time. With Reno disguised as a Japanese girl they pretend to be the innocent Plum-Blossom whom Evelyn deflowered some years earlier, and her relatives. Whitney offers them money but they demand an honourable solution. Seeing through Reno's disguise, Evelyn quickly agrees to marry her, whilst Hope, recognising Billy suggests that Evelyn offer her to Plum-Blossom's relative to even the score. So the couples are each united with their true loves. Evangeline, Hopes mother, is distraught that her daughter is not now to marry into money, how will she survive. The wealthy Whitney then surprises her with an offer of marriage. Before she can accept, Billy reveals him to Whitney, returning his stolen glasses, and apologises for not carrying out his orders to sell the shares. Whitney is convinced he is financially ruined, but then news arrives that the shares Whitney had expected to collapse, have in fact soared in value. He has made millions. Everyone celebrates a happy ending (I Get a Kick out of You [reprise] / Anything Goes [reprise]).
Visually, this production is a treat. The costumes are excellent, if streotyped, and ably evoke the atmosphere of the nineteen-thirties when this production was first performed. The set comprises a section of the ship looking along its length. A circular deck structure has steps leading up on either side to a second deck above. The front wall of the circular structure slides aside and inside is a turntable which can be rotated to present sets representing different interior rooms.
Musically, unfortunately, it fell rather short of expectations, lacking the verve that is needed to make a musical of this type really memorable. In a small but accomplished orchestra, the brass section was rather too strident and gave the music as a whole a thin and tinny quality. The songs meanwhile, whilst delivered by artistes of unquestioned technical ability and some wonderful voices, by and large lacked the vitality that really gets the toes tapping. It is hard to put a finger on what was wrong, but somehow although the ingredients were excellent the whole simply did not gel, and ultimately lacked the magic to ensure it remained in the memory.
Still it is a fun production with some classic comedy performances, mainly centred around the Moonface character.
Ria Jones as Reno Sweeney is an exceptionally talented musical performer, with a rich and powerful voice. Her rendition of "Blow Gabriel Blow" was for me the musical highpoint of the show. Michael Starke as Moonface Martin was the other star of the show and his comedy performance easily made up for any shortcomings in the musical department. Running off to join the skeet-shooting with his 'tommy-gun', and bursting into a room after a growing crescendo of running footsteps were particularly funny moments. His tag-line of "there's somethin wrong here" was impeccably delivered every time. Chris Ellis-Stanton is another muscially talented performaer with a strong singing voice, and ably fit the part of the golden haired heart-throb Billy, his rendition of "Easy to love" being another highpoint. Ashley Lilley supplied the love interest as the beautiful Hope Harcourt. Sandra Dickinson was the best known of the cast in the none too taxing role as Evangeline Harcourt, and of course of all the cast had least trouble with mastering an American accent. Barry Howard played Elisha Whitney providing a great addition to the comedy content. The remainder of the cast provided strong support.
Whilst I enjoyed this show, it failed to capture the pizzazz and dynamism of the original, and left the distinct impression that it could have been so much better. But still worth seeing as much for the comedy as the music.