Anything Goes / Swan Theatre, Worcester

Everyone knows that Cole Porter can write a good tune.

These tunes are often very hard to sing and it takes an excellent company to take on "Anything Goes".

On Wednesday night I attended WODS performance of the show at the Swan Theatre, Worcester.

It was clear from the beginning that this was going to be a classy show.

Director, Andrew Rawle, has clearly put in a huge amount of work to bring off a triumph.

Ably assisted by his Musical Director, Sheila Bratt, and Choreographer, Sam Collison, they have produced a high quality show that simply never stops.

From the opening number, "I Get a Kick out of You" to the finale when the whole ensemble sings a reprise, the pace is hectic, slightly slapstick, as the writer intended, but at all times highly entertaining.

Reno, played by a feisty Sarah Gilhooly, dominates the stage when she is on it. The hapless Lord Evelyn, is beautifully played by Mark Langston.

His performance of "The Gypsy in Me" is one of the high points in the show. I much enjoyed the tango sequence with Reno.

Peter Baio (Moonface) and Leila Moore (Erma) who gave brilliant portrayals of their quirky characters did much to enhance the overall experience.

Add to that, two excellent romantic leads in Louisa Ford and Steve Miller, who were bang on their notes, and you have a show to remember.

The Ensemble produced a very tuneful and well judged sound.

The band was excellent, and the huge tap dance extravaganza at the end of Act 1 was well executed by the whole ensemble.

It is something that you wait for with this show.

Good dancers are difficult to come by and I am sure that not all the cast were that confident but WODS brought it off.

The show runs until Saturday. I urge you to see it. This is WODS back to their best.

Review by Beverly Stevenson