The Roundabout Theatre Club production of "Anything Goes" sailed into the Naples Philharmonic Tuesday on a tide of tapping and trilling, carried along by one of the single greatest act one curtain numbers in musical theatre history.
Rachel York and a deck full of tapping sailors reach giddy, glorious heights in the show's title song. If the rest of
Cole Porter's 1934 show about antics on a London-bound ocean liner don't always attain those heights, the S.S. American does enjoy mostly clear sailing.
Classic tunes offer sonic goodness. Glamorous Art Deco designs and a few closets of Jazz Age fashions in a shimmering palette of the softest pastels provide candy for the eyes. A strong dancing and singing ensemble (admire the brawny sailors and the leggy ladies) brings athleticism, sharply executed choreography and strong visuals out for a good old-fashioned thrill ride. You might not love it, but you will definitely like it. A lot.
The real problem? "Anything Goes" never really feels like what it truly is - or was - a thoroughly over-stuffed and jolly frivolous frivolity. The touring production feels a bit mechanical. Only York, as ultra-glam Reno Sweeney, a role originated by
Ethel Merman, elevates the nonsensical plot aimed at cheering Depression-era audiences to something special. Every single piece of "Anything Goes" needs to shout "SPECTACLE" - and this show never does.
Kathleen Marshall, who directed and choreographed the production for Roundabout, wanted something a little more sophisticated and low-key than pointless piles of pizazz.
Porter's score arrives with extended dance breaks, but few big tap numbers. Marshall pulls from Jazz Age revels and Depression-era dance hall styles, in sweeping, dramatic patterns that expand and reform. I admire the style and willingness to experiment - but her admittedly beautiful vision isn't quite as suited for the rigors and realities of a national tour as it was for the Broadway stage.
The choreography was designed for a smaller venue than the Philharmonic. Details, like the fluid, sinuous moves that accompany "De-Lovely," get lost in the larger space. Dance breaks which would seem like floating, fairy-tale dreams (of the Gilded Age, no doubt) in a more intimate theatre drag because the performers can't generate enough energy to fill the cavernous hall. Nor can the audience at the back of the room even appreciate the performances.
Do take note of the razor-sharp precision of the tapping in "Anything Goes." Legs, arms, elbows and knees fly, swing, kick and twirl in perfect unison during a lengthy scene powered by York's voice, Porter's timeless tunes and a fashion parade of red, white and blue.
If York can be coaxed off Broadway, she may soon follow her predecessor Foster off the stage and onto TV screens. Her electric presence alone nearly saves the show; the angelic voice proves a bonus. Merman would have been proud. Long legs that pivot sharply on a bar stool sell "I Get A Kick Out Of You" and set the tone for a smoky, romantic, slightly sexier version of "Anything Goes" than audiences might be used to.
They heard the actress down on Fifth Avenue South. "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" comes near to passing the title song as a pure, adrenaline-filled show-stopper. Led by York in front of an enormous silver Art Deco fan, the gospel-tinged number morphs from prayer meeting to Old Testament wall-crumbling. Choir girls enter in robes that strip to reveal a tiny scattering of gold and ruby sequins. Sedate pews on the stage vanish, replaced by an atmosphere that seems a cross between tent revival and wild Jazz Age speak-easy.
Little can compete with that. The rest of the show feels a bit flat, especially during scenes that expose the weak story and one-dimensional characters.
Joyce Chittick breaks through as gun moll Erma, a squawking, man hungry caricature who never met a sailor's behind she didn't like to pinch. Look for her pert middle-class outfits, broad smile, brilliant comic timing and delightfully annoying honk.
Chris Silk is the arts writer and theater critic for the Naples Daily News. To read the longer version of this review, go to: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/mar/06/review-naples-philharmonic-anything-goes-tour/
