In 1934, the country was once again feeling hopeful, and why not? FDR had been elected President, prohibition was over at last, and the Depression looked like it might finally come to an end for the weary American people. So long, bad times; hello, Anything Goes. As in so many movies of the ‘30’s, reality was just not what the folks wanted. Hits of the era were “It Happened One Night,” and A Night at the Opera for their comedic value. People also wanted to see a lifestyle far removed from their own in “The Thin Man,” “Grand Hotel,” and “42nd Street.” Anything Goes definitely falls into the latter category. The musical opened at the Alvin Theater in November, 1934; it was a smash hit, running for 420 performances. It’s been revised and presented several times since then, Off Broadway in 1962, on the Great White Way in 1987; different Cole Porter tunes were included in both versions. Sutton Foster won raves and a Tony for the 2011 avatar. Set on a cruise ship, complete with ladies in fabulous gowns and nattily dressed gentlemen, the production’s style is neatly expressed by the backdrop shown before the curtain rises. An Art Deco-style lady is shown in a long maroon, nearly backless dress, holding a glass of champagne. An old radio plays a tinny version of the title song. The lead character, an Aimee Semple McPherson-type Evangelist named Reno Sweeney (Stacia Fernandez) enters; she’s dressed in a blush-colored gown with a deep slit and fur stole, and is festooned with jewelry. She’s trying to put the moves on callow young Billy Crocker (Zach Trimmer), but to no avail. He only has eyes for heiress Hope Harcourt (Jackie Raye), who’s set to marry another, although she does fancy Billy. They all end up together on a cruise ship captained by a bearded look-a-like of Edward Smith, who helmed the Titanic. What could possibly go wrong? Added to the mayhem is the nefarious Moonface Martin (Jon J Peterson) and a host of tap dancing sailors and dolls. It’s all a lot of madcap fun, chock-full of some of the greatest Broadway hits of all time: “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “Easy to Love,” “Friendship,” “It’s Delovely,” and of course, the title song. Fernandez belts out her numbers in the style of Ethel Merman, who created Reno originally, and Raye is loveliness itself as Hope. With so much turmoil in the world, and American politics descending to a point of dismay for many in this country, what better time to forget our troubles and enter into a world where, happily, for a little while Anything Goes?
