A delightful piece of Anglo-American froth, Warminster School’s production of Anything Goes played to packed houses over three days at the Athenaeum last week.

The story follows the escapades, love affairs and unlikely encounters on a luxury liner crossing the Atlantic from New York to England. What makes the show utterly magical is the enchanting music and lyrics of Cole Porter – his songs cleverly woven into a hilarious and deliciously absurd plot.

It is six years since Warminster School put on its magnificent, moving Les Miserables, with little Cosette and the urchin Gavroche played by Kathryn Rush (then in Year 6) and Tommy Morgan (then in Year 7) respectively. Now Kathryn and Tommy, both in the Sixth Form, have played two of the leading roles in Anything Goes with maturity and brio. Kathryn played Hope Harcourt – a discerning young lady engaged to nice but dim Lord Oakleigh – and Tommy was her resourceful and ever-hopeful suitor, Billy Crocker, who stows away on the SS American to keep Hope in his sights.

There was something for everyone in this show: some truly impressive nightclub-style performances – Marie-Claire Wood (Upper Sixth) as Reno Sweeney and Maisie Fogg (Year 10) as Bonnie were especially memorable; an excellent performance from Tash Ross (Upper Sixth and another veteran of Les Miserables) as Hope’s indomitable mother; real quality show dancing and sophisticated choreography from the sailors and the Angels in Reno’s entourage; fabulous, figure-hugging costumes; witty repartee from Moonface Martin (Ben Stone, Year 10) and endearing daffiness from Lord Oakleigh (Lewis Tomlinson, Lower Sixth); and then of course those wonderful songs, full of wit and heart: I Get a Kick out of You, You’re the Top, All Through the Night, Take Me Back to Manhattan… Warminster School can once again be proud of the sheer quality and finesse of its Senior School production.

Congratulations go to the drama department led by Annabel Hooper, to the music department and the excellent band directed by Derek Harris and to all the backstage contributors who made this sparkling, effervescent show possible.