A pleasant but long night out on the town
This is the second show in a row I've seen in previews and yet I'm unconvinced the flaws in the current revival of Anything Goes can be ironed out before opening night. The biggest problem is they chose the long version - the tortuous history of this show means there are multiple versions, even for amateur theatre guilds to license. It clocks in at almost 3 hours, with at least 3 songs that add nothing to the show. I can't tell if, when it opens, we'll get a better sense of Reno Sweeney's prior relationship with Moonface Martin - they sing a whole dang song together about "Friendship" and yet it was a "As you know, Bob" in the second act that told me they had history - or more importantly, why she falls for the stuffy Englishman, other than end-of-show math.
I was so excited when I heard Sutton Foster was going to be in it, bc she's incredibly talented. I still think they should revive Grand Hotel just so she can play Flaemmchen. However, I did not expect her to play Reno Sweeney. Wiki tells me she's 35, but she still feels too young for the brassy, been around the block nightclub singer. It was the right call though: I'd forgotten how little the ingenue gets to sing and Foster definitely has the dancing chops for the role.
I'd still recommend seeing it though. The sets and choreography are lovely; the titular number was great, as was the Act 2 opener. Joel Grey does a good job as Moonface Martin, although he looks so old, I wonder how many more shows he has in him; a last chance to see someone of his caliber is reason enough to go. Foster and Grey get top billing, so I was VERY impressed with Colin Donnell's performance as Billy: how have I never noticed him in anything before?? I think the overall design choices mean that this show can't be great, but overall, it's a lot of fine professionals putting on a classic show.
I was so excited when I heard Sutton Foster was going to be in it, bc she's incredibly talented. I still think they should revive Grand Hotel just so she can play Flaemmchen. However, I did not expect her to play Reno Sweeney. Wiki tells me she's 35, but she still feels too young for the brassy, been around the block nightclub singer. It was the right call though: I'd forgotten how little the ingenue gets to sing and Foster definitely has the dancing chops for the role.
I'd still recommend seeing it though. The sets and choreography are lovely; the titular number was great, as was the Act 2 opener. Joel Grey does a good job as Moonface Martin, although he looks so old, I wonder how many more shows he has in him; a last chance to see someone of his caliber is reason enough to go. Foster and Grey get top billing, so I was VERY impressed with Colin Donnell's performance as Billy: how have I never noticed him in anything before?? I think the overall design choices mean that this show can't be great, but overall, it's a lot of fine professionals putting on a classic show.