Review by Paul Towers, 1/7/26
Anything Goes by PG Wodehouse, Guy Bolton,
Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
Music & lyrics by Cole Porter
Directed and choregraphed by Lee Proud
Produced by Celia Mackay for Kilworth House
Theatre
At Kilworth House Theatre til Sunday 2 August
2026
Anything Goes is just about the perfect American
musical. It has a daft farcical plot, is jam packed with hummable Cole Porter
songs and enough tap dancing to make your ankles swell in sympathy.
Set on a cruise liner sailing from New York
to London (great Art Deco set design by Phil Witcomb), the SS American is home to
a very mixed bag of passengers. Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Emily-Mae in
fine voice and with a great sense of comedy) is onboard along with her backing singers,
debutante Hope Harcourt (Megan Gardiner) is with her fiancé Lord Evelyn
Oakleigh (Tom Hopcroft) and her mother Evangeline Harcourt (Penelope Woodman). Billy
Crocker (Richard Carson) is assistant to Wall Street banker Elisha Whitney
(Thomas Sutcliffe) but has stowed away onboard to try and win Hope’s heart. To
this end he has to disguise himself. Moonface Martin (Dougie Carter) aka “Public
Enemy No. 13” causes all sorts of trouble as he sneaks around while his ‘associate’
Erma (Sophie Naglik) turns all the sailors’ heads with a promise of fun and games
below decks.
Trying to keep some sort of order on the
liner is The Captain (Robert McNeilly).
As with all good musicals the first half is
taken up with creating the chaos that is resolved in the second half. Along the
way there is comedy, farce, great dancing and glittering costumes.
For those of us of a certain vintage and a
keen interest in musical theatre/films the Cole Porter score is enough to turn
us to jelly. But add into that the iconic show stopping first half finale of the
Anything Goes tap routine and I am in musical theatre heaven.
The score for the second half is full of less
well-known Porter songs but no less hummable for that.
Staged under the marquee of the Kilworth
House Outdoor Theatre on a balmy July evening this is the perfect antidote to
today’s troubles. Grab a ticket while you can.
The whole production is de-lovely and is a
very welcome return for resident director/choreographer Lee Proud.
Pics: Fox Corporate Photography
https://ptheatre.blogspot.com/
