Streaming Review: Anything Still Goes As The Revival Of A Cole Porter Classic, ANYTHING GOES, Streams On BroadwayHD

Welcome to another installment of Little Bobby’s thoughts on some streaming THEATRE coming to you from the fab children at BroadwayHD!  So jump in the stream with us, and let’s see if our rainbow lands on a pot of gold.

Cole Porter said it best, didn’t he, dear ones? Whatever he said, whenever he said it, he said it best, and no mistake. His double entendres caused triple takes from the single-minded and easily shocked and brought rye smiles from those a little less naive and more in-the-know. His hit 1934 musical ANYTHING GOES is, without doubt, one of the brightest gems in his bejeweled show queen crown, and when wise producers decided the slick Kathleen Marshall directed and choreographed (Tony® Win) 2011 revival needed a remount in the historic West End, the only thing we’re left to wonder is… what took them so long? Nearly a decade had passed since the Tony® Winning revival, with its Tony® Winning Star and little Bobby’s fave, Sutton Foster, had lit up the lights of The Broadway. Fortunately, the star of YOUNGER could not only pull it off, it’s like no time has passed at all, and watching the latest streaming theatre from the wonderful children at BroadwayHD is truly like being transported in time twice - once, back to that shining moment when this terrific revival opened in 2011, and, again, back to the Broadway of 1934 and Cole Porter himself. Ms. Foster is truly one of the prettiest, tappiest, singingest stars the old street has to offer, and watching her in this show, again, in High Def, so deftly directed for the stage by La Marshall and for the screen by Ross MacGibbon, put her right in Bobby’s living room - HEAVEN ON THE HIGH SEAS!
 

Filmed live at the Barbican in London, this major production was mounted with all the trimmings, and joining Foster on stage are Tony® and Olivier Award® winner Robert Lindsay as Moonface Martin, legendary Felicity Kendal as Evangeline Harcourt, and West End Luminary Gary Wilmot as Elisha Whitney, with Samuel Edwards as Billy Crocker, Nicole-Lily Baisden as Hope Harcourt, Haydn Oakley as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (read that again dearlings - it’s funny), and Carly Mercedes Dyer as Erma. Each and every one of these Brits joining star-spangled Sutton gives terrific performances with just enough stage schmaltz to put it over without anyone really overplaying to a degree that they swallow the cameras. Creating intimacy in filming a live stage production is a very thin tightrope and it can all come tumbling down if the actors are not truly rooted in the circumstances of their characters. The cast plays off each other brilliantly and the chemistry between Foster and Lindsay - doing a spot on New York Gangster tough guy while still being hilarious - is the lynchpin of the show. They are marvelous together and the famous FRIENDSHIP number goes over like Buster’s Gang!
 

For the live theatre component of this theatre broadcast - the production has set design by Derek McLane, costumes by Jon Morrell, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound design by Jonathan Deans, and music supervision by Stephen Ridley. All of this stage magic has been woven into MacGibbon’s seamless camera work and shooting choices. One gets the feeling that you are seeing the show from a seat right on the stage, so close and intimate is the video surveillance. Finally, though, it is the cast led by Sutton Foster that invites the viewer in and gives them all the up-close acting, singing, and dancing that this award-winning show delivers in the theatre, and remember, dear Bobby Readers… Tappy Make Me Happy, so how could little Bobby not be happy with this dip in the stream and so we wholeheartedly award ANYTHING GOES on BroadwayHD

5 Out Of 5 Rainbows

Get Your BroadwayHD & ANYTHING GOES: HERE

All Credits For The Video Production Of ANYTHING GOES Available On IMDB: HERE

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