Perspective

As a self-proclaimed autobiography despite the fact that it was written by two people, Anything Goes is written as a first-person narrative of actor John Barrowman's humble beginnings and rise to fame. Barrowman portrays himself as a "regular guy" who through perseverance, naturally-gifted abilities, and confidence, was able to reach the pinnacles of theater art as a leading man in major West End productions.

While his career was larger than life, Barrowman takes pains to describe some "normal" activities - like camping, shopping, and getting into mischief as a young boy - alongside theater stories of rubbing elbows with people like Jack Lemmon, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Carol Burnett. Barrowman stated that he had to resist the trappings of fame in order to retain an essential and unfiltered part of his personality, the part which has endeared him to audiences.

One essential part of his personality was his...