Rashidra Scott and the cast         photos by Diane Sobolewski

                                     By Ed Lieberman

The Goodspeed Opera House has embarked on its 2016 Season with a rousing production of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, featuring an outstanding cast, precision tap dancing, gorgeous costumes, an ingenious set, innovative staging, in short everything you would want in a show . . .  except, alas, for a coherent plot. But even that is appropriate, given its history.

Anything Goes was written in the mid-1930’s: the pre-Oklahoma years, when plot was considered filler between songs. And even if plot was deemed important, this show’s plotting was doomed from the start: The original story, written by P.G. Wodehouse (of Jeeves fame) and Guy Bolton, was to have been about a bomb on an ocean liner, a shipwreck and adventures on a desert island, but two months before the scheduled opening a fire on the SS Morro Castle sank the ship off the coast of New Jersey, killing 138. Fearing reaction to the tragedy (think Towering Inferno opening on September 12, 2001), the producer needed a quick re-write. Wodehouse and Bolton were unavailable, so, in a perfect example of necessity being the mother of invention, the producer turned to the show’s director, Howard Lindsay, who, in turn, brought in press agent Russel Crouse to collaborate with him on a new book. (Lindsay and Crouse went on to become one of the greatest writing partnerships in theater history, writing The Sound of Music, among other hit shows). Even though the show that emerged was one of the most popular and well-received of the 1930’s musicals (the original 1934 production ran 420 performances during the height of the Depression), its three Broadway revivals saw additional tweaking, and different Cole Porter songs were inserted and deleted from the various versions. The libretto on display at the Goodspeed is from the 1987 rewrite, by John Weidman and Timothy Crouse (son of Russel Crouse).

Of course, this is a musical, after all, and the weakness of the book is more than made up for by the score and lyrics by Cole Porter and the outstanding orchestra led by William J. Thomas, under musical direction of Michael O’Flaherty. This version of the show includes such Porter standards as “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “You’d Be So Easy to Love,” “Friendship,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “Blow, Gabriel Blow,” “Be Like a Bluebird,” “All Through the Night,” “The Gypsy in Me,” and, of course, the title song, “Anything Goes.”  With such a score a real plot would only get in the way!

Stephen DeRosa and David Harris

But, for those who crave context, here’s a thumbnail sketch of what passes for the plot: Billy Crocker is a young broker employed by financier Elisha Whitney, who is leaving for England on the liner SS American. While seeing his boss off, he finds his old friend, Reno Sweeney, an evangelist-turned-singer, who harbors feelings for Billy, is also on board as the ship’s lead entertainer. When Billy discovers that the object of his affections, Hope Harcourt, is on board, betrothed -- at her mother’s insistence -- to hapless (but rich) English Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, he stows away, hoping to win her heart. But first and foremost, he must avoid detection, both by his employer and by the ship’s crew. In this, he is aided by Moonface Martin, better known as Public Enemy No. 13, who is onboard disguised as a clergyman. When the ship’s real chaplain shows up and the crew must decide who the imposter is, Billy identifies Moonface as the real chaplain, and he is allowed to stay. To reward Billy, Moonface gives him the passport and ticket of his boss, Snake Eyes Johnson, Public Enemy No. 1 (without telling Billy of his criminal status, of course).  In perhaps a prescient forecast of this year’s presidential election, when Billy is caught and misidentified as Snake Eyes, the crew and passengers throw him a dinner and treat him as the guest of honor, as the biggest celebrity on board (“Public Enemy No. 1”)! In any event, this being a musical comedy, you can guess the happy ending that ensues: Billy marries Hope, Reno marries Oakleigh, Hope’s mother marries Whitney; all being wed by Moonface, as the ship’s chaplain! 

It’s getting to that denouement that provides the fun, and the Goodspeed has assembled its usual outstanding cast to see us through: Rashidra Scott, on leave from Broadway’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, displays both the sassy and bold voice needed to pull off the evangelical “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” number, and the dancing chops to bring the house down in the toe-tapping first act finale, “Anything Goes.”

David Harris and the cast

David Harris smoothly melds with Ms. Scott on “You’re the Top,” and with Hannah Florence, who plays his love interest, Hope, in “It’s De-Lovely.” Although the rest of the ensemble are uniformly outstanding, the show is stolen by the two comic leads, Benjamin Howes, as Lord Evelyn, who, in a running gag, is constantly trying to learn American slang (at one point saying, “You’re the absolute rats pajamas”), and the inveterate scene-stealer, Stephen DeRosa, as Moonface Martin, who channels not one, but two of the Marx Brothers, as well as Eddie Cantor, who he played on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. His performance of “Be Like a Bluebird,” had both the audience and his fellow cast members in stitches.

Jay Aubrey Jones, Patrick Richwood and the cast

In case some of you have been scratching your heads feeling something familiar about the names and numbers described above, you are correct: this show presaged another show about the denizens of the underworld and their need to repent. Anything Goes features characters such as “Moonface” Martin, and “Snake Eyes” Johnson, and a show-stopping repent-thee-sinners song in “Blow Gabriel, Blow,” while last year’s equally wonderful Goodspeed production, Guys and Dolls, included characters named “Harry the Horse,” “Angie the Ox” and “Nicely-Nicely” Johnson, and an equally rousing confessional number, “Sit Down You’re Rockin‘ the Boat.” Just remember, Anything Goes came first.  

As those who have been reading this column know, the Goodspeed (built in the 1800’s) has a very small stage. In mounting this production, ingenious steps have been taken to expand the stage to accommodate the large cast required for this show. Set designer Wilson Chin enlarged the set vertically, providing a second level for the orchestra and some of the action. At the same time, the stage has been extended over the orchestra pit, providing more space for the spectacular dance numbers choreographed by Kelli Barclay, and moving the actors even closer to the audience than they usually are. And that’s a good thing, because the gorgeous costumes by Ilona Somogyi warrant close scrutiny.

If you want to forget about your cares and woes (and perhaps the political news, as well), you can’t do better than to drive -- or cruise -- up the Connecticut River to East Haddam for a rollicking and hilarious time, where literally Anything Goes!!!

Anything Goes continues through June 16th at the Goodspeed Opera House’s main stage, 6 Main Street East Haddam, CT. Curtain times are: Wednesdays and Thursdays: 2:00  and 7:30 pm; Fridays: 8:00 pm; Saturdays: 3:00 and 8:00 pm; and Sundays at 2:00 and 6:30 pm. Box Office: 860-873-8668