Anything Goes Review

WHO, WHAT, WHEN: Anything Goes: The Orpheus Choir and the Vector Wellington Orchestra conducted by Michael Fulcher with Sarah Lineham (soprano) and Chris Crowe (baritone); Songs by (mainly) Cole Porter, Wellington Town Hall, Saturday November 28. Reviewed by Lindis Taylor

I confess I approached this concert with certain misgivings; that attempts to popularise or to lend music a quality that is not intrinsic to it, by performing it in an unauthentic way, can fail on all counts.

This last concert for 2009 by the Orpheus Choir, Wellington's main classical choir, had invaded the territory of Broadway, of Cole Porter. Now, I doubt that Porter had the sound of a symphonic choir in his head as he composed his numeric musicals.

By by the second or third number - well, Night and Day - I was sold, on both the subtle and expressive singing by the choir, and the idiomatic orchestral and choral arrangements by Wayne Senior.

The harmonies in the chorus were neither too simple nor too burdened with needless blues accretions foreign to Porter's style and era. Lighting and the disposition of choir and orchestra were used effectively. There was always a nice balance between performances by the choir and the soloists, and there was a stylish jazz feeling in the orchestra. I've Got You Under My Skin, sung by the choir, featured some fancy piano playing by Donald Nicholson and a good showing by the brass.

Sarah Lineham and Chris Crowe, stars of the show, sang one of the non-Porter songs, the droll I Remember It Well by Lerner and Loewe, to Michael Fulcher's piano accompaniment. They also brought life to a couple of songs from the great film High Society: the pianissimo sophrano choral opening of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was magic, and Lineham had her golden moment in Well, Did You Evah?

Victor Young's When I Fall In Love, sung by the choir a capella with the utmost refinement, showing the beauty of a pure choral sound, capitavated the audience. Blow, Gabriel, Blow had rhythm and pressure, and it served as an encore.

The medleys of linked songs worked well enough, though some were too abbreviated: haste rather than breathless musical inspiration. The final medley, which included great numbers such as All Through The Night, It's De-Lovely and Anything Goes, seemed to be in too much of a hurry to end the show, which lasted an hour and 35 minutes. Considering the wealth of Porter's output, not to mention other Broadway material, many of us might have wanted more. But what a golden age of popular theatre music it displayed.