IT was two years ago the Manx Operatic Society staged Titanic the Musical.

In the farce Anything Goes, which is also set on a ocean liner, the ship might not sink but there is plenty of trouble on board.

But luckily this delightful Cole Porter musical has a happy ending.

Within minutes of the show starting we are introduced to an eccentric bunch of characters travelling on the SS American from New York to England.

These include short-sighted tycoon Elisha Whitney (Tony Hawkes), Evangelist turned nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Olivia Black), Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Mike Boner) and his fiancee Hope Harcourt (Victoria McLauchlan) and her mother Evangeline (Carrie Hunt).

Plus there's a few faces who shouldn't be onboard - gangster Moonface Martin (Nigel Thijs), gangster's moll Erma (Lisa Kreisky) and Elisha's employee Billy Crocker (David Lyons) who is in love with Hope Harcourt.

The inevitable coincidences and cases of mistaken identity bring them all together.

For me the first act really steps up several notches when the title song, Anything Goes, is performed at the end of it and this was by far my highlight of act one and really made me look forward to act two.

I thought this would probably be the centre piece of the entire show but act two grabbed me straight away and the brilliant and colourful Blow, Gabriel, Blow number left me a very happy sailor indeed and was my overall highlight of the night.

By this stage all the characters have been established and the audience has grown to really like them and there is no question Cole Porter's music is timeless.

The stage setting and the costumes were very good and I was delighted you can actually see the musicians in the orchestra.

Often the musicians don't get the accolades they deserve due to the fact that usually you only hear them and don't see them - but the way they are incorporated in this production is excellent.

There are a number of stand out performances. For me, leading the field is Lisa Kreisky who plays the "blonde bombshell" Erma. She performs the role absolutely brilliantly. Any scene with her in it is a winner.

But both Tony Hawkes (as Elisha J Whitney) and Mike Boner (as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh) really make their comic characters come alive too.

Olivia Black (as Reno) and David Lyons (as Billy) probably have the most to do throughout the show and hold it all together with distinction.

Billy Crocker is a likeable cheeky chap while Reno is an interesting character and it's fair to say she's not your average boat passenger!

Victoria McLauchlan as Hope and Carrie Hunt as Evangeline do a fine job as daughter and mother respectively and Nigel Thijs as Moonface Martin singing Be Like The Bluebird was another stand out performance for me.

One element of the show which dated it - and this is not meant as a slight on the Manx Operatic Society at all and is a comment about when the show was originally written - was the characters of two Chinese passengers who become more important in the second act.

I think it is probably fair to say had Anything Goes been written in the 21st century these characters would not be presented in such a stereotypical fashion.

I feel I won't be the only member of the audience who thinks these characters in particular could do with updating in some way, while I am sure others may not see it as an issue.

But overall Anything Goes is a very enjoyable night out. It is light-hearted, fun and it is clear a lot of effort has gone in to all aspects of the production.

So, if you are looking for something to float your boat you will definitely get a kick out of this!

Anything Goes starts at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas tonight (Saturday) and runs until March 26. For ticket details visit the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal, Douglas, ring the ticket hotline on 600555 or see www.villagaiety.com

This review was based upon the full dress rehearsal at the Gaiety last night (Friday).