Anything Goes at Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) (Review and a Giveaway)

On Saturday August 6th, I had the chance to see the other show put on by Theater Under the Stars this summer, Anything Goes. It was my first time seeing a show at the Malkin Bowl and I enjoyed the experience. I took a new friend with me and we arrived just in time to grab a glass of wine and get our seats (which were great).

The staff was dressed in nautical style (pale blues and whites, sailor hats) and were friendly and helpful. We figured pretty quickly that the story would happen on a boat, sometime before the 2nd World War (more precisely, 1934); the decor evoked the Depression era with its subdued colors and block-ish design.

After the announcements to turn off cell phones and cameras, the band (I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of a live band) played an introduction song as the actors set up the stage for the first scene. The show started promptly and the public was swept away on a transatlantic trip from New York to London. I absolutely loved the different costumes, especially the women’s. They were right on period–if you’ve seen Chicago, it happens at about the same time. Silky evening gowns and white beachwear, all were equally well done. Reno’s dresses were my favourites.

The story is pretty much what you’d expect from a musical comedy: love triangles, mistaken identities and mothers marrying off their daughters for access to money. The actors were all competent and enthusiastic; they always had a big smile on their faces as they changed the decor around for each scene. Their enthusiasm was contagious, too, because I left the show smiling and happy.

Despite the fact that this is the story of Billy and Hope, the character of Reno (played by sultry and excellent Irene Karas) really stood out for me. She is the master puppeteer of the story and she enjoys this role tremendously. Seth Little in the role of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh was fun and right on tone for the ridiculously pompous Englishman.

There were some technical difficulties with Irene Karas’ microphone at some point, but they quickly gave her a hand microphone so she could keep on singing. Some of the musical numbers lingered a bit too much for my taste, especially the long dance for “Blow, Gabriel, Blow”. The choreography could easily have been cut in half. I really enjoyed “Friendship”, which was about something else than love or sex, for once. Because trust me, even though this is totally family-friendly, there’s a lot of sex going on that ship for those who can see it!

All things considered, this was an entertaining show with great performers and amazing costumes. During the intermission, even the snack vendors sang songs! The show finished just in time to let the spectators reach English Bay for the fireworks.

GIVEAWAY:
You can also enjoy a show of your choice with 3 friends (or, if you are a parent, with your partner and children) before the end of the run on August 20th. If you’re interested in Bye Bye Birdie, you probably want to check out Jessica’s review as well to give you a little taste of what you’re going to see. To get your 4-ticket pack to either Bye Bye Birdie or Anything Goes, comment on this post telling us which is your all-time favourite musical. To get an extra entry, tweet the following:

I told @hummingbird604 about my favourite musical for tickets to @TUTSVancouver. Tell us yours here http://is.gd/tdOLNm

Raul will draw a winner on Friday, August 12th at 2PM. As usual, the winner will be announced in the comments section of this post and will also receive an email, so make sure you enter a correct email address when you comment and check your inbox on Friday afternoon.

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Related posts:

1. Visions of Vancouver by Pi Theatre (giveaway)
2. False Pretences at Metro Theatre (theatre review)
3. Bye Bye Birdie (Theatre Under The Stars, TUTS) [theatre review]
4. Singin’ In The Rain with Theatre Under the Stars @TUTSVancouver
5. Theatre Under the Stars at Malkin Bowl