Anything Goes - Barbican / U.K.Tour

Masks are recommended but not mandated, in line with changes to the law. Whilst it is common sense to wear one, there have been times when I haven't worn mine due to my glasses steaming up. I think we need to accept now that risk evaluation lies with the individual and if people are uncomfortable with the fact that others are not wearing masks, the obvious answer is to avoid being in public spaces for the time being.

I just got home and I'd say 90+% of the audience were masked during the performance.

The show was as good as others have said, and the thing that surprised me most was the amount of personality and sparkle the performers brought to it. Maybe because I had a seat in Row B, so was closer to the stage than usual, but I noticed a lot of byplay between the actors even when they weren't the focus of attention. At one point, Robert Lindsay was teasing Sutton Foster and I thought I heard him say "Are you subbing in for someone?" and she cracked up.

Lindsay reminded me of an old-school song-and-dance man, which was fun to see.

I did think Ms. Foster milked an ovation for 'Blow Gabriel Blow' out of the audience. Yes, there was lots of applause, but she stood and looked around at the audience until about a third of the audience was on their feet.

There were a couple dozen people at the stage door, applauding cast members as they came out.

All in all, it's a champagne cocktail of a show... bubbly, light, a little sweet and thoroughly enjoyable.

I don't see the Barbican kicking out the RSC for their London season, my guess for Anything Goes is either a short extension or possibly a return engagement next summer either at the Barbican or elsewhere, an open ended run at the Barbican is unlikely as it's not that sort of venue.

It's time like these where Trafalgar's new theatre in Olympia would come in handy but it's not due to open until 2025!

I’m not sure I’d get the bus into our town to see Block do this.

Yes he did say this. To me it looked like something he’d probably ad-libbed in rehearsals or earlier in the run and has now been added in as a faux ad-lib but perhaps it was genuinely off the cuff and either way quite funny.

Not a lot to add to all the praise so far. The whole thing is slick, pacey and frothy with just the right level of knowing. Sutton is a bonafide star who not only lights up the stage but also seems to elevate the performances of her co-stars whenever they share the stage with her - all the duets with her are big successes. The audience lapped it up with the two production numbers sending people into a frenzy. It did feel like we’d all found the theatrical confection we were craving following the past year and a bit.

If I was being *really* picky, I’d say from a pacing point of view it’s a shame that Blow Gabriel Blow comes so soon after the interval and Anything Goes, sort of squashing all the really OTT song and dance into a small central section of the show. Although they did do a great job of making Gypsy in Me an impressive dance number to perk everyone up towards the end of the show - I saw the NT production 15-or-so years ago and I remember feeling it really ran out of steam towards the end. But short of a rewrite there’s not a lot to be done about that.

Anyway a great success. I hope it’s a hit, and that we manage to tempt Sutton back in the future for another show.

There were ad-libs dating back to the very first performance. Can't remember if that exact one was in, but it sounds familiar. Fairly sure they're scripted.

Barbican website now saying this is running until 31st October.

How Does Jackman/Foster in Music Man for a summer season at the London Palladium sound?
Can dream can't we!

www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/anything-goes-extends-barbican-run-to-31-october_54625.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=4august2021&fbclid=IwAR3vDSOPASGAcQuhAou5FEB6Gw6pg-Qb9NBlo-mwLoSNlJSiV5_dHEp1pEs

Extended by another 2 weeks due to 'phenomenal' demand! Still no mention of if it'll be Vivien Carter (whos Suttons understudy) stepping up to the plate, or if they will get someone else in to end the run.

P.S. Reading that back it might read like I was being snarky or disparaging or disbelieving of your original comment which wasn't at all my intention - I just meant to say that if Sutton and Robert felt worried that they had quietened down a bit after the first few shows, I don't think they'll be feeling that anymore.

It is very similar, even down to a lot of the ensemble having been in 42nd Street (or, if not, another big dance based show).

There is slightly more plot to Anything Goes, but not much more. Music wise, I prefer 42nd Street, but it is all from a similar era.