THE Glass Box Theatre in Harlow College is a wonderful performance space, it’s amazing to me that I’ve never been there before this week.

I was invited to see students perform the Cole Porter classic Anything Goes! 

The plot is silly, the characters are silly but the score is fabulous with a host of familiar and much loved songs including I get a kick out of you, It’s de-lovely, You’re the top and, of course, Anything Goes.

A strong cast captured the audience from the outset with their confident  characterisations and vocals. Set on an ocean liner the plot revolves around unrequited love, a couple destined to marry despite loving someone else, mistaken identities and all manner of other enjoyable silliness including stowaways, gangsters and pet dogs!

It’s easy to over play such characters and plotlines but this cast never crossed that line, they came close but held back at just the right moment.

Eva Hart as Reno Sweeney was the star turn, great vocals delivered with aplomb.

Isaac Walker gave us a loveable and amusing rogue Billy Crocker.

The aristocrat Lord Evelyn Oakley is a very Bertie Wooster type chap, an easy thing to over egg but Tom Budd hit the mark perfectly. His comic turn when Lord Evelyn discovers he has gypsy blood is a delight.

Erin Baldry as Hope Harcourt has a beautiful voice that delivered in glorious melodic fashion.

The rest of the excellent cast were all on point, smooth dance numbers and great harmonies creating wonderful choral numbers.

A slick production with heart, this will not be my last visit to this gem of a theatre.

Cast:

Reno Sweeny – Eva Hart

Billy Crocker – Isaac Walker 

Moonface Martin – Jack Navin 

Hope Hardcourt – Erin Baldry

Lord Evelyn Oakley – Tom Budd

Urma Latour – Jessica Galvin 

Evangelin Hardcourt – Bryony Witt-Davies

Ellisha Whitney – James Slocombe

Directed and choreographed by Natalie Smyth and musical theatre students 

Production D