Combine gangsters on the run, a brassy nightclub singer, a young debutante with a doomed fate, and the glitz and glamour of the 1930s and what do you have? Cole Porter’s musical Anything Goes! All aboard the S.S. American for Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of this fun musical!
The action of the story revolves around singer Reno Sweeney, played with a brilliant combination of outrageous brassiness and charm by Broadway veteran (and “proud NYU teacher” as her Playbill bio puts it!) Sutton Foster (Shrek, The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Women, Thoroughly Modern Millie). At the start of the musical, Reno expresses her love for Billy Crocker (Colin Donnell – Jersey Boys), who she says she “gets a kick out of” and expects to marry, however she quickly learns that Billy is deeply in love with the young debutante Hope Harcourt. About to leave on a ship to England, Reno attempts to persuade Billy to come with her, however he has to stay back on Wall Street to do some work selling stocks for his boss.
On the S.S. American, the crew and passengers are growing bored and weary with the fact that they do not anticipate any celebrities being on board when Reno and her “Angels” arrive as well as Evangeline Harcourt (Jessica Walter – Photo Finish, Rumors), and her daughter Hope portrayed with charming grace, innocence, and sophistication by Laura Osnes (South Pacific, Grease) who described her character to HC NYU as “sophisticated, yet playful and romantic. She’s in love with young Billy Crocker but feels obligated to fulfill the future her mother has laid out for her. She’s starting to spread her wings and discover the value of her independence, coming to realize that she does have a choice even though she feels trapped by her mother and bound to her “duty” of marriage to Evelyn.”. All of a sudden Billy arrives as the audience learns that his boss, the ever-tipsy Eli, is one of the passengers. Spotting Hope (and her mysterious fiancĂ©), Billy decides to stow-away with the assistance of a gangster, Moonface Martin who is hiding out as a priest, played by Joel Grey (Wicked, Chicago, Cabaret) and his sidekick Erma (Jessica Stone – The Odd Couple, How to Succeed…).
The time on board is filled with disguises, blackmail, hideouts, and deception as Reno, Billy, Hope, her fiancé, Evangeline, Eli, and Moonface all attempt to set their own lives on track. Oh, and a whole lot of tap-dancing! Quick witted humor and banter make up the other half of what gives Anything Goes its excessive charm along with its slew of popular songs including “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “Friendship,” and, of course, “Anything Goes.”
Director Kathleen Marshall (Grease, The Pajama Game, Little Shop of Horrors and most recently City Center Encores! Bells Are Ringing) really plays off of the musical’s nautical theme beautifully. From the theatre’s curtain of a ship sailing through water that actually moves to the voiceover before the orchestra starts saying “Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking…please turn off all cellular devices, since they were not even invented in the 1930s….and do not open any lifesavers, we have enough on board!” to the thoroughly impressive three-story S.S. American that occupies the entire stage of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, all measures are taken to ensure that the audience is transported to set sail along the high seas. The nautical and period costumes done by Martin Pakledinaz (The Pajama Game, Thoroughly Modern Millie) also heighten the nostalgia and charm of this classic musical.
Anything Goesis delightful, it is delicious, and it is de-lovely.
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus