Anything Goes in London!
Last night Robbie and I were guests of our friend, Ed, for an evening of theatre. We went to the Grand Theatre in London to see a high school presentation of Anything Goes! This has become one of my favourite shows, not least because I was in a production at the Phipps in Hudson, WI not too many years ago!
The Grand is a beautiful old theatre and Ed had managed to score tickets in the box overlooking stage right. We only found out today that this theatre, and this box in particular are supposed to be haunted! Check here for an article about this. Very interesting. I regret to report that I saw nothing of Mr. Small during our visit.
As for the performance, I was very, very impressed! The costumes were for the most part extremely good. The stage dressing was not bad, although I am not convinced it was the best use of the limited space. The direction was sometimes inspired, but often made me wonder what the director was thinking of. What I did appreciate was the pace of the show. There were only a few continuity problems, but overall the production was brisk and entertaining to watch.
As for the cast, there is, as in any volunteer production, a mixed bag. But given the talent I did see, I find myself agreeing with the author of the report on the play in the London Free Press that there was some “miscasting.” I will go further and suggest that the two most important roles, Reno and Billy, were terribly miscast - Billy in particular. These are pivotal roles in this show and it is important to get the best voices into these parts. While the Reno actress acted the part well enough, her voice just was not up to the task. Given what she had, she pulled it off adequately, but anyone who heard the girl playing Irma couldn’t help but think she would have been a fantastic Reno.
The poor kid who tried to play Billy was pushed well beyond his skills in acting, dancing and most of all in singing. It was the only cringe-worthy part of the production and I felt very sorry for him to be put in this situation. Another kid in a small part could have acted, danced and sang the socks off the guy that was cast as Billy, and I felt sorry for him too being relegated to the first Sailor role. Fortunately we got to see him in the cute little scene at the beginning of the show. But this made watching the actual Billy thereafter a painful experience.
I can’t say I was fond of the portrayal of Eli Whitney (the role I played at the Phipps) in this production. The kid did as he was told; he portrayed the man as a drunk, but I much prefer him played - as I did the role - simply as a man who really enjoyed his drink! As it was done here, Whitney is a pretty one-dimensional character, and if I hadn’t been familiar with his obsession with “Eli Yale” I doubt I would have understood half of what he was talking about last night.
The ensemble was enthusiastic and supportive. As an ensemble everyone looked great and was clearly into the play. The orchestra was outstanding! I would have killed to have a group like that playing for us.
The only other complaint I have involved the choreography. Too few of the cast were involved in the tap-dance sequences as tap-dancers! For all his defects, the director of our show at the Phipps got almost everyone involved in learning to tap and in dancing in the big “Anything Goes” number. That said, those who did tap did a great job, and generally, the choreography was fun to watch -- with the exception of those few people who really don't know how to move, much less dance.
So all in all kudos to all involved. Even the weaker performers gave their all, and you can’t ask for more than that in any entertainment.
The Grand is a beautiful old theatre and Ed had managed to score tickets in the box overlooking stage right. We only found out today that this theatre, and this box in particular are supposed to be haunted! Check here for an article about this. Very interesting. I regret to report that I saw nothing of Mr. Small during our visit.
As for the performance, I was very, very impressed! The costumes were for the most part extremely good. The stage dressing was not bad, although I am not convinced it was the best use of the limited space. The direction was sometimes inspired, but often made me wonder what the director was thinking of. What I did appreciate was the pace of the show. There were only a few continuity problems, but overall the production was brisk and entertaining to watch.
As for the cast, there is, as in any volunteer production, a mixed bag. But given the talent I did see, I find myself agreeing with the author of the report on the play in the London Free Press that there was some “miscasting.” I will go further and suggest that the two most important roles, Reno and Billy, were terribly miscast - Billy in particular. These are pivotal roles in this show and it is important to get the best voices into these parts. While the Reno actress acted the part well enough, her voice just was not up to the task. Given what she had, she pulled it off adequately, but anyone who heard the girl playing Irma couldn’t help but think she would have been a fantastic Reno.
The poor kid who tried to play Billy was pushed well beyond his skills in acting, dancing and most of all in singing. It was the only cringe-worthy part of the production and I felt very sorry for him to be put in this situation. Another kid in a small part could have acted, danced and sang the socks off the guy that was cast as Billy, and I felt sorry for him too being relegated to the first Sailor role. Fortunately we got to see him in the cute little scene at the beginning of the show. But this made watching the actual Billy thereafter a painful experience.
I can’t say I was fond of the portrayal of Eli Whitney (the role I played at the Phipps) in this production. The kid did as he was told; he portrayed the man as a drunk, but I much prefer him played - as I did the role - simply as a man who really enjoyed his drink! As it was done here, Whitney is a pretty one-dimensional character, and if I hadn’t been familiar with his obsession with “Eli Yale” I doubt I would have understood half of what he was talking about last night.
The ensemble was enthusiastic and supportive. As an ensemble everyone looked great and was clearly into the play. The orchestra was outstanding! I would have killed to have a group like that playing for us.
The only other complaint I have involved the choreography. Too few of the cast were involved in the tap-dance sequences as tap-dancers! For all his defects, the director of our show at the Phipps got almost everyone involved in learning to tap and in dancing in the big “Anything Goes” number. That said, those who did tap did a great job, and generally, the choreography was fun to watch -- with the exception of those few people who really don't know how to move, much less dance.
So all in all kudos to all involved. Even the weaker performers gave their all, and you can’t ask for more than that in any entertainment.