When the Cole Porter classic "Anything Goes" was remounted in 2011 it won a Tony Award with a production full of the style and grace that a silly story like this demands.

A 1930s musical having a shell of a story to serve as some framework for wonderful songs like "I Get a Kick Out of You," "It’s De-Lovely" and the title song this play is cotton candy for a a couple of hours of relaxation from the cares of the world.

A national tour of the show is running at the Marcus Center and, despite high expectations, it proves out that the one thing a songfest like this needs is singers and dancers who have the power and skills to bring us along on a delightful journey.

The journey of this production is anything but delightful.

The story takes place on a ship crossing the Atlantic to England. A ship filled with Billy, who loves Hope who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh who loves Reno Sweeney who starts out loving Billy. And so forth.

There are sailors and officers on this ship, criminals and damsels and all manner of twists and turns. And there is the music.

There are moments when high expectations seem almost automatic, which makes the lackluster performances all the more disappointing.

The role of Reno Sweeney is one of the great female roles in all of musical theater and has been played by Ethel Merman, Patti LuPone, Elaine Page and most recently Sutton Foster in the 2011 revival.

Sweeney is an evangelist turned naughty nightclub singer and she is the heart and soul of this play. She’s a coquette, a tempting conspirator, a righteous and demanding woman who knows her way around men, drink, sex and men.

Sweeney demands a woman who is casual about all that surrounds her. She is saucy without being bitter and wants the world to understand that she knows all about things.

Emma Stratton has some of the brass that the role calls for but there also needs to have a little vulnerability to make us like her. That seemed to be missing. And she seemed to work too hard, when a casual approach would be much more enjoyable.

This production is not a first-rate national tour. It is made up of young actors, singers and dancers who have no Equity status and the inexperience shows.

Perhaps it’s understandable since the show was directed and choreographed by Broadway superstar Kathleen Marshall. She won a ton of awards for the 2011 revival.

It’s as if this cast is afraid of stepping outside what they see as rigid steps and blocking set down by Marshall. Everything in this production seems to be programmed and the air of spontaneity we need is missing.

Everyone smiles brightly, they tap dance tightly and they speak their lines rightly. But it all falls apart with not a hint that these people are actually having any fun onstage. They make it seem like work, and it’s no fun watching people at work.

One of the most poignant and tender moments in this play is when Billy and Hope are alone on the deck and sing the classic "It’s De-Lovely." They sing and dance, holding each other close. But in this production there was no real connection between the two actors, Michael Santora and Rachelle Rose Clark. It was if they had just met in an audition hall and were going to give it their best shot to get a part they weren’t quite suited for.

The producers of this tour are obviously trying to get by on the cheap. No Equity actors. Fewer cast members. A small and thin sounding orchestra.

What it combines for is a night that ought to be a quirky and touching evening is really just an "Anything Goes" that ought to be called "Nothing Goes."

"Anything Goes" runs through Jan. 11 and information on showtimes and tickets is available here.