Review: Anything Goes, Bristol Hippodrome – ‘Fun revival of an age-old classic’

Anything Goes touched down on Tuesday night at the Hippodrome this week as part of its nationwide tour. Written and first performed in 1934 in the era of the Great Depression, its purpose is fun-filled, extravagant escapism, and the audience certainly weren’t short-changed by this, its latest revival.

The musical takes place on a cruise ship from New York to London. The captain and ship staff at the start are concerned that there are no real A-list celebrities or flamboyant characters that might keep alive the ship’s reputation as a place for those of high society to mix and mingle.

Luckily for us in the Hippodrome auditorium, these fears are unfounded; no one could complain that there was a shortage of plot and personality on this ship.

Anything Goes – photo: Marc Brenner

Among the passengers on the SS American is the nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Kerry Ellis), who is hopelessly in love with Wall Street broker Billy Stocker (Samuel Edwards), who dreams of marrying debutante of the season, Hope Harcourt (Nicole-Lily Baisden), who is engaged to English aristocrat Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Haydn Oakley).

This quartet’s intermingling forms only part of the show, which also features criminals, gamblers and eccentric supporting characters played by theatreland glitterati Simon Callow and Bonnie Langford among others.

The end result of this mixing pot is a musical that is deliciously camp and chaotic in equal measure. The 15-strong orchestra provides a snazzy backdrop to an all-singing, all-dancing cast that left many in the audience swaying along to songs like Blow, Gabriel, Blow and the titular Anything Goes.

Unsurprisingly, renowned leading lady Ellis stands out as Reno Sweeney, making what must be an exhausting role – with intense dancing and singing routines, all the while maintaining a cheesy American smile through the show – look effortless.

Anything Goes – photo: Marc Brenner

Elsewhere, the promiscuous Erma – played by Carly Mercedes Dyer – brings an abundance of energy to the stage, and the flirty, cheeky chemistry she has with almost every character she interacts with certainly outweighs and distracts from the occasionally dodgy accents and singing by some in the cast.

As fun as the show is, it is almost 90 years old and some of its comedic references were lost on the audience; remarks that were intended to be witty asides sometimes fell a little flat.

It’s a musical that’s perhaps more fun than funny – but I certainly didn’t mind, and neither did anyone else at the Hippodrome. The sustained applause and cheering for impressive whole-cast dancing routines and for Ellis’ powerhouse of a voice were well merited.

With a star-studded cast, irresistible characters and songs and dances that’ll leave you feeling good, this revival of an age-old classic is fully justified. Be sure not to miss it.

Kerry Ellis and ensemble in Anything Goes – photo: Marc Brenner

Anything Goes is at Bristol Hippodrome from April 11-16 at 7.30pm, with 2.30pm matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available at www.atgtickets.com.

Main photo: Hugo Glendinning

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