Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," on view through Oct. 11th at the Birch North Park Theatre, is a nostalgic treat for fans of the prolific composer/lyricist. Like many revivals, San Diego Lyric Opera tweaks the original by deleting some songs and inserting some of Porter's better-known songs, so it feels a bit like Porter's Greatest Hits.

Still, the musical's style takes you back to its Broadway debut in 1934, when American audiences sought relief from the stress of the greatest stock-market crash in history and an economic depression. Talk about timing. This revival, directed and choreographed by David Brannen, is a delightful distraction and offers memorable performances that will have you laughing, singing and tapping along.

Sparked by Porter's catchy tunes and bawdy lyrics, and framed by tap dancing, the wild storyline follows the antics of passengers aboard an oceanliner- an heiress, her British fiancé, her stowaway lover, a nightclub singer, and a gangster.

From the moment he boards the S.S. America and fumbles with the gun in his violin case, all eyes are on J. Sherwood Montgomery who plays Public Enemy #13, Moonface Martin. Disguised as a priest, he blurts out ridiculous lines that commingle religious blessings and street jargon, and his whiney Bronx delivery is flawless. We can hear every word. His rendition of "Be Like A Bluebird" is terrific.

Also first-rate is Anthony Ballard's portrayal of the stiff Brit Sir Evelyn Oakleigh, the sophisticated dope who's engaged to the heiress Hope Harcourt but oblivious to her romantic escapades with Billy Crocker, the stowaway. As Sir Evee, he struggles to understand American idioms and proudly announces, "I have hot pants for you!" Ballard uses his body well to further his bumbling character, such as pouring drinks with an extra swirl of the arm and exercising on deck in plaid shorts, his spindly legs exposed in deep knee bends and arms shooting up and out.

By Act II, he's fallen in love with the nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, played by the sultry redhead, Debra Wanger. Their duet "Let's Misbehave" is crisp and charming as they swoon, hop straight up, and flirt with bear claw hands.

As Reno, the naughty nightclub singer who used to be an evangelist, Wanger is charismatic and grabs our attention with one-liners such as "If I'm not in the chapel, I'll be in the bar." Surrounded by her entourage, four sexy blondes known as the Four Angels, Reno stars in song and dance numbers throughout the show. One of her best is the solo, "I Get A Kick Out of You." While her vibrato is a bit over the top, she enunciates the clever lyrics with ease. On opening night, I strained to hear her in "Anything Goes" until the chorus joined her and added more power.

And let's not forget the dancing. Dressed in brilliant red, Wanger sizzles as she leads the Four Angels in a lively dance with umbrellas and shimmies set to "Take Me Back To Old Manhattan." Shirley Giltner is engaging as Bonnie, #13's scheming sidekick, and she reveals polished tapping skills in "Hop Heaven," along with the Four Angels and four sailors. The Angels, sailors and two captains raise the level of complexity and syncopation in several tap numbers filled with grapevines, time steps and crowd-pleasing wings (that's when you shuffle both feet out at the same time, rotate both arms for lift, and land with your feet together).

Jordan Miller brings youthful impulsivity to the role of Billy Crocker, and he has the great fortune of singing some of the best-known tunes such as "Friendship" and "It's Delovely." Surprisingly, he is most clear in falsetto voice when he's disguised as an old woman. When he poses as a Frenchman, one might think of Borat. Still he's an energized actor and partners well with Laura Bueno as the heiress Hope Harcourt. Their duet "All Through the Night" is quite lovely. It's a difficult song, and Bueno's pitch and phrasing are heavenly.

Costumes (Pam Stompoly-Erickson) are vintage and of course, this being a cruise from New York to London, many are nautically inspired. Wanger's dingle-ball headdress is a real hoot that harkens back to Hollywood and Carmen Miranda.

Sets (J. Sherwood Montgomery) - the ship deck, ladders leading to the upper level, clouds above, a stateroom, and a brig- are simple and mirror other revivals, but on a smaller scale. Lighting by Matthew Novotny is excellent, especially the subtle blue that shadows the singers in "All Through the Night."

A tight eight-person orchestra, conducted by Chris Thompson, weaves it all together and makes this staging of "Anything Goes" one you can enjoy even with eyes closed, and one you should see.

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