Anything Goes has set sail at The Players Theatre, full of joy, passion and a talented cast and crew!
Anything Goes is a 1934 Broadway classic musical, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and an original book by P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The production was updated with a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman later in 2022. The story follows a group of characters on the S.S American set for London as they navigate antics and mishaps. Billy Crocker (Stephen Clark) stows upon the ship when attempting to win over heiress Hope Harcourt (Emma-Jayne Herbert). Alongside Billy, a mobster called Moonface Martin (Chris Darnell) and nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Harriet Chambers) support his facade with disguises and schemes. The Lowestoft Players is an established musical theatre group, producing quality productions mainly at The Players Theatre. They consistently produce strong performances which are to the highest standards. After watching Grease last year, I was eager to see their take of this musical classic!
Directed by Deanne Dickson, with Clarissa Place as assistant director, this production was full of energy from the moment it started. Dickson understands the source material and this has translated perfectly onto stage. Moreover, musical direction and choreography was designed by Catherine Oldman and Shirley Hurren. Oldman’s musical direction was able to capture Porter’s score with authenticity and was a pleasure to hear. Hurren’s choreography was upbeat and professional throughout, especially during the song ‘Anything Goes’. Alongside this, Louise Carroll was production assistant which helped the show move smoothly.
The set was phenomenal for Anything Goes, presenting as a ship but being able to show different areas onboard. The Lowestoft Players consistently make brilliant sets, some stand outs being ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘KIPPS: Half a Sixpence’, which continue into this production. The costuming captured the time period successfully, with lots of exciting costumes worn by the entire cast. Moreover, the lighting was used effectively throughout the piece: adding more ambience to the stage. Though there were a few technical difficulties, but the team worked effortlessly to make the performance fantastic.
The ensemble were fantastic during the show, adding comedy flair and choreography. Anthony Hughes, Casey Divall, Jamie Collins and Simon Warren worked together to be the singing sailor quarter during ‘There’ll Always Be A Lady Fair’: blending their voices together well. Gabrielle Bennett, Lily Bond, Natasha Bird and Rachel Bell played Reno’s Angels, adding class and elegance to each scene they featured in with glamorous costuming. Clarissa Place plays Purser and Gerald Wilson plays the Captain. Both Place and Wilson work together well throughout the show as well as having their individual moments to shine. Jamie Collins plays Dippy and Jack Bloomfield plays Spit. The duo work together as two rascals causing mischief on the boat.
Gloria Dashwood plays Evangeline Harcourt. Dashwood captures the character perfectly, in both the comedy and class of Evangeline. She often had the audience laughing with her expressions to the mishaps occurring around her. Andrew Liddon plays Elisha Whitney. Liddon had strong vocals during ‘The Crew Song’ and performed effectively with others. Taryn Taylor plays Erma. Taylor adds lots of comedy to her role; working effectively alongside Clark as Moonface Martin. Her song ‘Buddie, Beware’ was a joyful time, showing high energy and fun. John Marjoram plays Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Marjoram was great at playing this excited Brit, having a bubbly personality throughout the show. Emma-Jayne Herbert plays Hope Harcourt. Hope is predicament between marrying Evelyn or going out with Billy. Herbert portrays this perfectly in her performance. Her vocals during ‘Goodbye, Little Dream, Goodbye’ sounded brilliant, as well as her duet alongside Clark ‘It’s De-Lovely’.
When casting this production, it is clear the creative team had considered the importance of the core three characters. Thankfully; the casting is perfect. Moonface Martin is played by Chris Darnell. As a gangster on board the ship, he was often creating mischief. Darnell is the ideal person for this, adding comedy throughout his performance. His duet with Chambers as Reno ‘Friendship’ was comedically perfect: having the audience laughing throughout. Billy Crocker is played by Stephen Clark. Billy is hopelessly in love which Clark captures in his performance. His vocals are strong and his dynamics alongside both Darnell and Chambers were excellent. The stand out performance of this production is Harriet Chambers who plays Reno Sweeney. Reno is such a fantastic musical theatre character and Chambers’ performance was phenomenal. Her vocals, dancing and acting were outstanding throughout and she lead to show alongside Clark and Darnell with confidence and enthusiasm.
Anything Goes runs until the 30th May. Book your tickets now!
Tickets for this production were provided complimentary. Many thanks to The Lowestoft Players for the wonderful evening!
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