IMT’S love boat is a dazzling showstopper

Inverness Musical Theatre

Eden Court, Inverness

until Sat, March 28

BY MARGARET CHRYSTALL

The challenge of a big, ambitious classic musical like Cole Porter’s Anything Goes has brought out the sparkling star qualities Inverness Musical Theatre shows off on stage till Saturday at Eden Court.

Cost of living worries may have been an explanation some seats were empty at Wednesday’s first night performance – a guaranteed sell-out in the past.

But what better moment than tough times to go and get a kick out of this production’s madcap feelgood fun, talented cast, big spectacular dance numbers, and impressive orchestra?

Seventeen years would be a long time to wait for its return – 2009 was the first and last time in 100 years the show’s luxury cruise ship the SS American dropped anchor at Inverness Opera Company which has gone on to become the groovier-sounding Inverness Musical Theatre.

And though this week’s version of the 1934 musical is rooted in a spectacular 1930s world, including drop-dead gorgeous costumes, like nightclub singer Reno’s opening chocolate-brown cocktail gown, or the authentic big band wail of the brass section soloists from the orchestra pit, there’s so much that is timeless too.

The captain’s need for celebrities to keep his fickle passengers satisfied has echoes in our own social media-obsessed world. And checking out the lyrics for one of the best-known numbers, alongside De-lovely, Anything Goes and I Get A Kick Out Of You which was revived as a chart hit in the 70s and later as a duet by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga in 2021, You’re The Top says “You’re the smile on the Mona Lisa” – as iconic a reference in 2026 as it was in 1934! Or “You’re the nimble tread/ Of the feet of Fred Astaire” the line accompanied by a lovely dance pastiche by Matthias Kremer recalling Hollywood’s legendary dance maestro for 21^st century fans!

In the action-packed Anything Goes story, a group of characters all have their own emotional journeys to make on the sailing from New York to England. From feisty nightclub singer Reno (Lauren Macdonald) revealing her love (or is it?) for stowaway stockbroker Billy Crocker (Matthias Kremer) who just wants English Lord Evelyn Oakleigh’s fiancée Hope (Lauren Robertson). Then there’s loveable gangster-holyman Moonface Martin (Liam MacAskill), played last-time by Trevor Nicol, who in this production takes on the role of Wall Street rich man Elisha Whitney with eyes only for old flame Evangeline (Caroline Macpherson).

Moments to savour included Reno’s performance of I Get A Kick Out Of You highlighting Lauren Macdonald’s unique torch-singer voice and in You’re The Top, Reno and Billy, bessie-mates whose mutual adoration routine fizzes and bounces off each other.

A blast from a foghorn (‘sound effects’ yet another thing the busy Mr Kremer is credited for in the programme) added atmosphere as the ship set off with Bon Voyage letting the chorus reveal their powerful voices. A lovely trumpet solo in Easy To Love heralded Billy and Hope’s future love dreams which might just be shared by both, despite Hope’s plan to marry rich Lord Evelyn on her mum’s orders. Some of the high notes in the song may have challenged performer Kremer, but like alter-ego Billy and the obstacles to getting his girl, he just attacked adversity with real conviction.

The constant search for disguises in the story saw high comedy with Billy as a less than convincing long-legged sailor, later hidden by a doggy-fur beard.

Sadly, we didn’t get to test how effective Moon’s longed-for “gorilla suit or knight” might have been. But it was a real joy to have Liam MacAskill back for the company after a long gap, the role emphasising comic timing and vocals. And alongside the many new talents, it was good to see the programme highlighting the six cast members who had appeared in that last Anything Goes. Good to know too that veteran stage manager George Reynolds was in place to – literally – run a smooth ship!

It was easy to love Reno and gangster Moon’s inspired duet Friendship including some fourth-wall-breaking banter from the duo and musical director Alan Mackintosh and some percussion effects from the orchestra pit!

Was it better than the comedy gold of Lord Evelyn’s tango with Reno where he told her he was “letting the gypsy in me out” in their dance triumph The Gypsy In Me? Or was it rivalled by gangster’s moll Erma (Nicola Grey) and the sailors’ party piece warning Buddie, Beware.

But after a long first half, it was the big dance numbers that took your breath away with a stageful of dancers on tap with flawless feet that must have taken hours of rehearsing to perfect – particularly for the first-time tap dancers learning the technique just for the show! Choreographer Suzanne Innes and assistant Erin MacLaren, what an achievement and well-done to all the dancers.

Pure spectacle came in first-half finisher Anything Goes, and second-half opening scene, the gospelly Blow, Gabriel Blow with exhilarating moves and some striking costumes of gold robes over scarlet sparkling swimsuits for Reno and her four angels, Purity (Alison Ozog), Chastity (Gillian Cooke), Charity (Tatiana Zhelezniakova) and Virtue (Serenity Harbour).

Those big dance scenes were dazzling showstoppers on opening night for me – and just one of the reasons I booked a ticket on Thursday morning to see it all again on Saturday night!

But contrary to all the happy endings for the SS American’s lovers and zillionaires, dreams don’t always come true in real life which is why we need musicals to compensate for all the real world’s little disappointments.

And it’s why I’ll be nursing a broken arm at home on Saturday night after laboriously typing up this review with one hand instead of enjoying the whole de-lovely production again before it sails off into the sunset.