ANYTHING GOES at Roundabout's Stephen Sondheim Theatre

(Seen 4/15/11)

ANYTHING GOES has a special place in my theatrical heart -- it was the first musical I produced in my college days at CCNY. Cole Porter's music and lyrics are still clever, buoyant, sassy, and tuneful. The book is still as creaky and unbelievable as ever, despite tweaking by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. So it seems that director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall has striven to make it fast and furious, to make up for it's lack of a good book.

Sutton Foster, as an unlikely Reno Sweeney -- being too young and too desirable for the character -- nevertheless quickly establishes herself as the reason to see the show. She is the triple-threat singer-dancer-actress that any director would want in a fast-paced musical. And once she captures the role and makes it her own, the book seems to fade away, and the journey becomes her private entertainment vehicle.

The large featured cast is more than able, and although Marshall is lax in bringing those characters to life, they serve the purpose of supporting Foster in her virtuoso role. Along with Cole Porter's excellent score and vibrant lyrics, ANYTHING GOES becomes "You're The Top"!