Anything Goes

The entire cast contributed to making this a real pleasure to watch.

It felt as if We were at the theater watching this. The orchestra was excellent and the film crew got it right.

Look, I know this was well-intentioned.

Get some big names in a production, film it, screen it in cinemas as a way of trying to coax people back into cinemas and theatres after the pandemic.

It was very well-intentioned, and that intention is admirable, don't get me wrong.

Unfortunately the production then had to be good.

It is not. The lead isn't great, the musical numbers aren't much better. It drags along at a snails pace, and if they were going to film it, why not wait until they had an audience who were up for it??

It's always a tricky thing trying to capture live theatre on film, but musicals tend to be able to do it more successfully.

This one didn't.

One of Sutton Foster's gifts is her willingness to let her natural goofiness show, and this seems to free the entire cast to express so much joy.

During the Covid pandemic, I've been delighted by the proliferation of filmed performances. You get the opportunity to study the brilliant efforts of actors in secondary roles.

In this case, try focusing on groups of performers like the Angels or the Sailor Quartet. Watch for the six main sailors and the four angels in each of the dance numbers -- they tell Billy and Hope's story so beautifully, and they convince us of their devotion to Erma.

You realize that, given the opportunity, many of these performers could play the heck out of leading roles. More theatrical productions, please!

Sure, some might say it is dated, but then you denying yourself the chance to immerse in a fun fantasy world that touches on classic movies, plays and music. The cast is fantastic. Erma's towering showpieces is a show stopper. Lindsay as Moonface is also invigoratingly hilarious with every line and nuisance. And, the chemistry with those too is extraordinary. Sutton Foster is no Ethel Merman nor Patti Lupone, but who cares, she put her own spin on it, and is a more naturalistic performer. Even when she and Lindsay brake character. One might say her dancing might seem a bit ungraceful, but in some way, the choreography should be a tad looser in the non-tap dances. Classic Staging, great side characters performances. And, the two love interests, just don't get in the way of the real fun and just move the plot along. As ever, this is a video of stage performance and has some limits there, but it is hardly noticeable and still feel open enough to just get along with the zingers. Bravo.

Sutton Foster made this performance worth watching. She was absolutely brilliant! And she can act, which is more than anyone can say about the rest of the cast. Lindsay and Kendal should never, ever try to do an American accent-and they wildly overacted, spending the entire time pulling faces. In a word, Lindsay and Kendal stank.

Foster is a renowned Broadway star. She deserves better than the main cast; she carried the entire film. Such a shame that she didn't have the Broadway cast-although the dancers were superb.

I'm being generous with my review. Sutton on her own deserves a 10. Lindsay, Kendal and the rest of the gurners deserve a zero.