"Anything Goes" Went!

On Sunday, I saw the last performance of the Palace Theater's production of "Anything Goes."

I have to say, it's the best musical I've seen there in several years. I haven't seen all the musicals they have done, but I've seen quite a few, and this one was head and shoulders above the rest.

In a word: it ROCKED!

I heard only one sour note among all the songs. For the most part, it was the best singing I've heard at The Palace in a long time. Good tight harmonies, and soaring solos.

The band was excellent, even if invisible from where I sat in the balcony. The dances were well-choreographed, and somewhat more ambitious than some I've seen in the past. I recognized some faces from the summer classes, so I have to say, those workshops paid off. Kudos to all.

The set was, hands down, the best I've ever seen at The Palace, for any production. It was compact, and did not overwhelm or crowd the actors as other sets have done. The rolling platform was very good, and the multi-level decks worked well.

As I work for the costumer, I'm not exactly an objective judge of the costumes, and was disappointed to see that some things that Ramona and I had spent hours working on were not used. Ramona is, of course, far too nice to say anything, but I'm not. If, for any reason, a costume does not work, we can either make it work, or come up with something else that will. Replacing costumes with clothing of the actor's or director's choice is not a good option when Ramona's name is in the program as "Costume Designer." Y'all hired Ramona because she is very good at what she does; so let her do it already!

The Palace, Mary Ellen and Cliff should all be very proud of this one; not to mention the cast and crew.