Director and Choreographer: Kathleen Marshall
New Book: Timothy Crouse and John Weidman
Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter
After dazzling at the Barbican last year the show hot-footed it across the UK to bring its unique combination of sassy humour, big band music and joyful dance routines to the nation. It went global on the cinema screens and turned people’s living rooms into decks and cabaret theatres through its TV showing and on-demand streaming. In short, we’ve been collectively given as much chance as possible to see this excellent musical and the producers are just being generous with the summer months’ return to the Barbican.
As with anything from the remarkable mind of P. G. Wodehouse, the plotting here is not a straightforward affair. Though it was rewritten extensively (and now has a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman), his quirky impact can still be felt in this tangled love story of debutantes, gangsters, nightclub singers, Lords and brokers. Billy Crocker stows away on the same ocean liner as his boss, the girl he loves (Hope) and her fiancé, and an assemblage of crooks, dancers and sailors. Avoiding discovery as a stowaway, and by his boss who wanted him to stay back on Wall St., is not as easy as it sounds, especially as he also needs to work out how to win Hope back before she marries for the money.
Cole Porter’s sensational music and unrivalled lyrical ability are showcased wonderfully by this production. Intricate but accessible, the combination of bright wordplay, playful rhythms and classic humour is in good hands between the cast and musicians. Under Mark Aspinal’s musical direction the orchestra sets the tone and pace for high-octane performances across the board. The brass section deserves public recognition in particular – it’s a shame they’re all stuck down under the Barbican’s stage.
If you’re looking for an excuse to go see it (again) live, then there are a few cast changes from the last time the show was in London. Kerry Ellis steps into the Reno role, turning in an incredible performance mixing inch-perfect, complex choreography with strong vocals and depth of feeling. Leading the pack at the stunning (a cliché word, but no other seems appropriate here) numbers that bookend the interval – Anything Goes and Blow Gabriel, Blow – she never falters at the centre of attention and is part of a group performance that literally stops the whole show.
Our new Moonface Martin, the gangster with a heart, is Denis Lawson who seems to be relishing the chance to play an ostensibly dangerous guy who has found a chill philosophy with which to take on the world. Simon Callow has taken on the role of Elisha Whitney, a rare point in this show where promise isn’t quite delivered on. For someone of Callow’s capabilities and range, it seems a wasted opportunity to put him in so flat a character, mostly reduced to variations on two jokes (being a Yale grad, and having bad eyesight). Newcomer Bonnie Langford is dependably great while, Samuel Edwards has stayed with the show since last year as the main man Billy Crocker. A classic Wodehouse male lead, he’s buoyant, smart and immensely watchable.
Binding this whole lot together is the directorial vision of Kathleen Marshall. It’s hugely complex, but nothing feels dropped or unbalanced or misaligned. Come for Porter’s outstanding music, the charismatic delivery, or the shades of Wodehouse that remain. Stay for Kathleen Marshall’s massive and invigorating dance routines and kinetic direction. Either way, it’s all about who’s staying aboard for what is surely one of London’s best musicals this summer.
Runs until 3 September 2022
