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Just About Anything Goes

Just About Anything Goes – Final Section
by Robert Butler

On a Thursday night, five weeks into the run of Anything Goes, there was one element of the evening that held no surprise. Everyone knew that what they were about to see was a hit. The production has just received an Olivier nomination for outstanding musical production. The run was completely sold out.

Most of the 1100 members of that night's audience, would have seen some of the reviews. The morning after the First Night the Independent had said it was "de-licious, de-lightful, de-lovely – and de-finitive." The Times had said it was "terrific fun". The Daily Telegraph had said "It's the top. It's tremendous fun." On the Sunday after the opening night the Observer headline had said it was "the rats' pyjamas" and the intro to the review stated that "Trevor Nunn's revival of Anything Goes confirms it as one of the finest musicals ever." The Sunday Telegraph said that it was "sublimely adorably silly" and remarked that the SS American "might just as well be called the SS Euphoria." The Mail on Sunday had called it "glorious, exuberant, exhilarating entertainment" and the Sunday Times had said it was "sheer gold".

No two performances are ever the same and the performance on that Thursday night differed in many ways from the first preview. The most immediate change was that two actors, John Barrowman and Jason Gardiner, were off. Billy Crocker was played by the understudy, Corey Skaggs, and the two male swings, Kevin Brewis and Christian Gibson, were on. Christopher Bennett, who had hurt his foot on the first preview was also back in the cast.

Many other, more permanent, changes had been made since the first preview. There had been small additions to the design. The side of the gangplank now carried the name of the SS American. Smoke now came out of the funnel. Streamers now descended onto the upper deck during the climax of 'Bon Voyage'. And the lock of hair that falls in front of Simon Day's face when he sings the Gypsy song had developed a role of its own. Extra lines had been added to strengthen the chase in Act One and to keep it firmly in the audience's mind. One or two cuts had been made, most notably in the card-playing scene in the brig, which now ended as soon as Billy, Moonface and Luke start to play cards.

At the first preview the overture had not begun until the entire audience was seated. From the second preview the five minute overture began as members of the audience were filing in and looking for their seats. The band no longer revolved into view after 18 minutes. The audience first sees the band after 80 minutes, when it comes into view during the title number that closes Act One.

And what about that moment during 'Blow Gabriel Blow', when the Lady rises from the wheelchair? It was still there. During one of the afternoon notes' sessions, the staff director, Stephen Barlow, had told Trevor Nunn that during 'Blow Gabriel Blow' he had been watching two members of the audience in the wheelchair bays, particularly at the moment when the Lady is miraculously healed. Barlow said that these two members of the audience were grinning. Nunn was delighted.