`Anything Goes' is on at City Hall theatre until October 16. Performances begin at 8 p.m., and tickets ($30) are available at the box office next to the Ferry Terminal on Front Street from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday. For further information telephone 295-1727.

*** When the S.S. American weighed anchor under the flag of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society at City Hall last Thursday, it was with a capacity audience, eager and anticipatory, in tow. Two hours later, there was no doubt that the maiden voyage had been a roaring success, with a forecast of smooth sailing predicted for the rest of its nine-day run.

With memories of last year's superlative production, Les Miserables, still vivid in G & S supporters' minds, the inevitable question arose beforehand: Could anything else possibly measure up to that standard? The answer was an unequivocal `yes' -- not least because the Society wisely chose to present something so completely different in temperament and mood as to make comparisons impossible.

As the title portends, Cole Porter's 1930s musical, Anything Goes, provides a madcap glimpse of shipboard shenanigans. Indeed, with a passenger list which includes fugitives from justice, a quasi-evangelist, a stowaway, a debutante and her foppish, aristocratic fiance m, as well as an ambitious mother and an alcohol-loving roue m among the usual collection of "nace'' people and aspiring romantics, mix-ups and mayhem of almost Feydeauesque proportions are virtually assured.

Unlike most musicals, where banal dialogue serves as a convenient link between songs and/or dance routines, the script of Anything Goes tickles more than the visual senses. Filled with well-crafted wit and humour, it provides an hilarious evening's entertainment, with quips and retorts falling like `Bon Voyage' confetti.

As with any production, casting is crucial to its overall success, and those responsible for making the final decisions were right on the mark. Thanks to an apparent abundance of talent, neither the all-important lead roles nor the supporting ones were compromised.

Karen Stroeder, as the beautiful Reno, was dynamic, with a commanding presence and voice to match. Philip Barnett, as the lovestruck hero Billy Crocker, used his flowing voice to fine effect, while 14-year-old Rebecca Faulkenberry, as the heroine and betrothed debutante Hope Harcourt, perfectly portrayed the sweet innocence of a young bride-to-be. Although her voice is still young, it is very pleasing, and she sings with an assurance beyond her years. With careful nurturing and protection, it promises to become a real asset to local theatre's future fortunes.

Gordon Campbell, as the ever-sippin', sight-impaired, man-on-the-make Elisha Whitney, struck a nice balance between the haughty and the hormonal, with his seductive rendition of Let's Misbehave being the highlight of a solid performance.

As Evangeline, the final object of Elisha's affection and full-o-bluster mother of Hope Harcourt, Deborah Raat's performance was consistently believable, and her duet with Gordon Campbell in ( Let's Misbehave ) particularly pleasing.

Whenever Nancy Thompson is cast as a ditzy, Betty Boop style blonde, no-one does it better. On this occasion, playing the role of brainless gangster's moll Erma, she again used her squeaky, nasal delivery and mincing gait to great effect. However, it was as the soloist with the male quartet (Charlie Grainge, Robert Godfrey, Brian Foster and Mark Hamilton) that she excelled with her vampish, show-stopping performance of Buddie, Beware.

Inevitably, every musical has its show stoppers, be they big production numbers or individual performances, and Anything Goes had plenty of both.

Among the former, Blow, Gabriel, Blow, with trumpet solo by Tim Rhodes, loomed large, while Keith Madeiros and John Ross were unforgettable for the virtuosity of their respective performances.

Although Mr. Madeiros must surely be growing tired of playing campy, over-the-top roles by now, nonetheless he does them superbly. Cast as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, a rich and bossy British aristocrat affianced to Hope Harcourt, he was a mesmerising whirlwind of cut glass vowels and precious indignation. But it was his hilarious, wildly exaggerated send-up of the tango, complete with balletic flourishes, which brought the house down -- and rightly so, for it was a comedic tour-de-force.

And then there was John Ross -- for my money the man who stole the show. A banker by day, this vertically challenged son of a preacher man has been truly blessed with a gift for comedy. His innate sense of timing, body language, facial expressions, and all the little "extras'' that make for a virtuoso performance, are his in abundance, and he used them to perfection. Always "in character'' -- and he played several -- he made priceless watching. Even his rendition of Be Like the Blue Bird , with its absurdly spoken "Tweet, tweets,'' was a classic.

Visiting musical director Mark Dorrell once again did an outstanding job bringing the singers and instrumentalists to the high level of performance we have come to expect since his work on Les Miserables, while choreographer/director Barbara Frith cleverly devised routines and trained her dancers, both experienced and novice, to the same, seamless level of competence.

As the centrepiece of the show, Ian Record's brilliant concept of a two-deck section of a ship, complete with funnel, railings, stairways, and other authentic elements of marine architecture, proved an ingenious way of accommodating the large cast on a limited stage. Scene changes, deftly wrought by near-invisible stage hands, were simple but effective in denoting above and below-deck situations.

Integral to the overall excellence of this production, of course, were the eye-catching costumes, beautifully designed by Liz Campbell, and the first-class sound and lighting effects, carefully designed by London-based Colin Pink (who also did Les Miserables and Annette Hallett, respectively.

All in all, Anything Goes was a delightful evening's entertainment. Don't miss it!