Yes, Anything Goes

Anything Goes

Anything Goes is a fun packed musical set in the 1930's that everyone should put on their to do list to see. It is a joy to watch, from the beginning to the end.

It is obvious that the entire cast are enjoying themselves as they sing and dance. This joy is infectious as the entire audience gets wrapped up in all the fun. Anything Goes is full of jokes, one liners, and double meanings. You can hear the laughter burst out in the audience all throughout the show.

Anything Goes is about the mad-cap antics of a few interesting characters aboard the S.S.American ship and their interactions with each other as they sail along. There are mistaken identities, foiled plots and a boat full to the brim of laughs, singing, dancing and hilarity.

 Todd McKenney &
Caroline O'Connor

The leads are wonderful as they portray their larger than life characters. Caroline O'Connor, Todd McKenney, Alex Rathgeber and Claire Lyon all excel in their lively performances.

The musical is propelled along by the other main characters played by Carmen Duncan, Gerry Connolly, Wayne Kermond, Deborah Krizak, Bartholomew John, Aljin Abella, and Nicholas Kong. All bring their own special touch to the character they play.

A special note must be made to the men and women who make up the ensemble. They all perform with non-stop enthusiasm as if they are in the lead role. They make Anything Goes a first-class musical comedy.

The singing in Anything Goes is wonderful and easy to listen to with its various styles. The lyrics are clever and witty. The diction is clear in all the solo, duet, and chorus singing. Featured songs are the well known title song Anything Goes, along with You're the Top, I Get A Kick Out Of You and Blow, Gabriel, Blow.

The dancing, including the tap dancing, brings the stage to life. It adds to the celebration moments of the show and makes you feel like getting up and dancing too.

Anything Goes

The sets of Anything Goes are brilliant in their simplicity. The main features are the two set of stairs linking the levels of the ship and the bow (or was it the stern?) that is lowered and raised. The sets do not dominate to the point of distraction so focus the attention on the performers.

The orchestra is a stand-out feature of Anything Goes. They are not hidden away under the stage, but on are on full view on the second deck level on the stage. They perform with gusto and complement the singers and dancers without drowning them out.

You can tell how good a show is by the reaction of the audience around you. I could easily tell that Anything goes was a ship-shape production by the laughter happening all around me during the show, and the favourable comments made by the audience as they were chatting with each other at interval and after the show. One comment that I hard was "Wow, that was great!" A simple comment, but one from the heart that sums all the other comments up.

Debora Krizak & 

Wayne Scott Kermond

During interval I spotted someone I knew from my hometown in country NSW, and another person from overseas I met at a conference I was attending in Melbourne. Anything Goes is so good that it attracts its audience not only from Melbourne but from towns and cities around Australia and the world. It s a good tourism drawcard to Melbourne.

Anything Goes is one of Cole Porter's smash hit musical comedies and presented by Opera Australia and John Frost. You need to get on board quickly to see Anything goes in Melbourne, as it ends its Melbourne season on July 19th. It then then sets sail to Brisbane from 25 July and to Sydney from 5 September.

Anything Goes is so good that I want to see it again when it comes to Sydney, but this time I will bring my family along with me so that they can also join in the fun.

Website: www.anythinggoesmusical.com.au