Anything Goes - Darlington Theatre Players
Fri, 16 Dec 2005, 04:30 pmWalter Plinge1 post in thread
Anything Goes - Darlington Theatre Players
Fri, 16 Dec 2005, 04:30 pmThis review is a little late, as the show has now closed, but for the sake of those who were in it or anyone interested I am posting it here.
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Darlington Theatre Players presents ANYTHING GOES
Darlington Theatre PlayersÂ’ production of Anything Goes at Marloo Theatre is a show with quite a few flaws. The fact that I was able to easily overlook these flaws, and enjoy possibly the most fun night IÂ’ve had in a theatre for a while, is testament to the skill of director Paul Treasure and his assembled cast. What they have crafted here is not a show to be scrutinized by the critical eye, but to be taken lightly and purely enjoyed by the average theatergoer. This, combined with the feeling of intimacy evoked by the cozy auditorium of Marloo Theatre, led to a most pleasant evening.
Paul Treasure’s ship surely may have sunk had he not been able to assemble the cast of dynamic and committed leads found here, led by Nyree Hughes in the role of Reno Sweeney. The character of Reno Sweeney is a larger-than-life personality, as was the actress who originated the role on stage in 1934, definitive Broadway belter Ethel Merman. Nyree Hughes, however, playing Reno in this production, brought a great deal of welcome subtlety to the part, commanding the space at all times without being overbearing and bringing a distinct sense of class to her characterization. She did not belt her showstopping numbers to the rafters in Merman style, but still glided effortlessly through each song with only a few hiccups in ‘Blow, Gabriel, Blow’.
As Billy Crocker, Peter ‘Pear’ Carr at first seemed an unconventional romantic lead, but soon proved himself to be a strong and capable actor and singer, demonstrating a fine understanding of musical theatre conventions and allowing this understanding to fuel his performance. His energy was perfect, as was his fine negotiation of the dance numbers. As Hope Harcourt, his love interest, Ashleigh Warner exuded an intensely likeable presence and brought life to a two-dimensional character. Although her singing faltered at one or two points, she vocally demonstrated definite potential and was consistently enjoyable to watch.
Luke Taaffe, playing HopeÂ’s British fiancée Lord Evelyn Oakleigh was an audience favourite. His performance was hilarious, although at times he seemed as amused by his own actions as the audience, with a barely-concealed grin crossing his face at several inappropriate points! Still, his energy and willingness to make an utter buffoon of himself onstage contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the show. As gangsterÂ’s moll Erma, Breeahn JonesÂ’ performance seemed to be the mutant love-child of Ethel Merman and Bernadette Peters, consisting as it did of a brash Broadway belt, dry delivery and a firm grasp of comic timing. She made the most of her eleven oÂ’clock showstopper, “Buddy, Beware”, and her accent was hilarious, though at times a little inconsistent.
Much credit should also be given to other supporting players Stephen Carr (Moonface Martin), Jacqui Warner (Evangeline Harcourt) and Richard Milner (Elisha Whitney), whose performances were all strong, credible and rounded out a very enjoyable cast of principals. As RenoÂ’s Angels, Claire French danced exceedingly well while Danni MinettÂ’s smile lit up the entire stage.
The energy and commitment of these principle actors was enough to allow me to overlook several of the show’s most obvious shortcomings, such as the pre-recorded music which unfortunately cheapened the sound of the show and the ensemble who, while certainly competent, were simply not large enough to make an impact on big production numbers such as ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘Blow, Gabriel, Blow’. Also, the incessant dance breaks in every number grew a little tiresome…however, this is the fault of the orchestrator, and not anyone involved with this production, so it is forgiveable.
Altogether, this show was not a life-altering experience or a stunning piece of theatreÂ…but I was not looking for either of those at Marloo Theatre on a Wednesday night. What I was looking for was fun, enjoyment and light entertainment, which Paul TreasureÂ’s production certainly delivered. Thank you to the delightful cast, and also the crew and production team, for a great performance!
==========================================
Darlington Theatre Players presents ANYTHING GOES
Darlington Theatre PlayersÂ’ production of Anything Goes at Marloo Theatre is a show with quite a few flaws. The fact that I was able to easily overlook these flaws, and enjoy possibly the most fun night IÂ’ve had in a theatre for a while, is testament to the skill of director Paul Treasure and his assembled cast. What they have crafted here is not a show to be scrutinized by the critical eye, but to be taken lightly and purely enjoyed by the average theatergoer. This, combined with the feeling of intimacy evoked by the cozy auditorium of Marloo Theatre, led to a most pleasant evening.
Paul Treasure’s ship surely may have sunk had he not been able to assemble the cast of dynamic and committed leads found here, led by Nyree Hughes in the role of Reno Sweeney. The character of Reno Sweeney is a larger-than-life personality, as was the actress who originated the role on stage in 1934, definitive Broadway belter Ethel Merman. Nyree Hughes, however, playing Reno in this production, brought a great deal of welcome subtlety to the part, commanding the space at all times without being overbearing and bringing a distinct sense of class to her characterization. She did not belt her showstopping numbers to the rafters in Merman style, but still glided effortlessly through each song with only a few hiccups in ‘Blow, Gabriel, Blow’.
As Billy Crocker, Peter ‘Pear’ Carr at first seemed an unconventional romantic lead, but soon proved himself to be a strong and capable actor and singer, demonstrating a fine understanding of musical theatre conventions and allowing this understanding to fuel his performance. His energy was perfect, as was his fine negotiation of the dance numbers. As Hope Harcourt, his love interest, Ashleigh Warner exuded an intensely likeable presence and brought life to a two-dimensional character. Although her singing faltered at one or two points, she vocally demonstrated definite potential and was consistently enjoyable to watch.
Luke Taaffe, playing HopeÂ’s British fiancée Lord Evelyn Oakleigh was an audience favourite. His performance was hilarious, although at times he seemed as amused by his own actions as the audience, with a barely-concealed grin crossing his face at several inappropriate points! Still, his energy and willingness to make an utter buffoon of himself onstage contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the show. As gangsterÂ’s moll Erma, Breeahn JonesÂ’ performance seemed to be the mutant love-child of Ethel Merman and Bernadette Peters, consisting as it did of a brash Broadway belt, dry delivery and a firm grasp of comic timing. She made the most of her eleven oÂ’clock showstopper, “Buddy, Beware”, and her accent was hilarious, though at times a little inconsistent.
Much credit should also be given to other supporting players Stephen Carr (Moonface Martin), Jacqui Warner (Evangeline Harcourt) and Richard Milner (Elisha Whitney), whose performances were all strong, credible and rounded out a very enjoyable cast of principals. As RenoÂ’s Angels, Claire French danced exceedingly well while Danni MinettÂ’s smile lit up the entire stage.
The energy and commitment of these principle actors was enough to allow me to overlook several of the show’s most obvious shortcomings, such as the pre-recorded music which unfortunately cheapened the sound of the show and the ensemble who, while certainly competent, were simply not large enough to make an impact on big production numbers such as ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘Blow, Gabriel, Blow’. Also, the incessant dance breaks in every number grew a little tiresome…however, this is the fault of the orchestrator, and not anyone involved with this production, so it is forgiveable.
Altogether, this show was not a life-altering experience or a stunning piece of theatreÂ…but I was not looking for either of those at Marloo Theatre on a Wednesday night. What I was looking for was fun, enjoyment and light entertainment, which Paul TreasureÂ’s production certainly delivered. Thank you to the delightful cast, and also the crew and production team, for a great performance!