Anything Goes …..

I love London, and it really is wonderful to be back here after the dark days of lockdown. This morning we explore Southwark where we’re staying in The Hoxton - a beautifully designed hotel with all sorts of quirky details. Normally, I love walking in London, drinking in the energy of this melting pot of history and culture - but right now I’m so tired that it’s a struggle, and we have to abandon G’s walking tour in favour of a walk along the river. 

I’m keen to photograph the London skyline; I just love the juxtaposition of the old and new. It’s hard to avoid cliche, but I choose my favourite shot as my main, with a few others in extras - including a cat poster I particularly liked. 

I have to rest for a few hours in the afternoon - the advantage of having a fairly central hotel. Then it’s off to The Barbican for Anything Goes. Another golden oldie, but this time brilliantly slick and superficially fun rather than the serious pathos of last night. It’s so strange to be back in a theatre; I really thought I wouldn’t be ready for this. Many of us wear masks - as do all the staff - and there is an almost hysterical frisson of excitement as the orchestra strikes up, playing those wonderful Cole Porter tunes. 

It’s fabulous. The cast - led by Broadway star Sutton Foster, with Robert Lindsey, Felicity Kendal, Gary Wilmot and a host of others. The dancing is superb - those wonderful slick Broadway production numbers. As The Guardian puts it in today’s 5*. Review: ‘This 1934 show is Depression-era escapism fit for post-Covid times. If you want to remove yourself from the world for a few hours, this is the place to do it.’ 

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2021/aug/05/anything-goes-review-sutton-foster-dazzles-in-cole-porters-fizzing-tonic-for-our-times

Not surprisingly, there is a standing ovation before we embark on the nightmare of trying to find our way out of what must be the most confusing arts building on earth! 

Thank you so much for your lovely comments and stars - and sorry if these haven’t been acknowledged. I’ll catch up soon.