Anything Goes: An Exclusive Look
Following years of musicals featuring pain, desperation, tragedy, and despair, Enloe Theatre’s upcoming show Anything Goes is guaranteed to be a change of pace for the student body—but a welcome one. While the world becomes increasingly more stressful and the only modern musicals around seem to be full of angst and edge, Director Koko Thornton returns to theatre’s Golden Age. “[These musicals] were written during times where people struggled, but [people] wrote them in order to ignore the fact that people were struggling, so everybody is happy, everybody is rich...it’s lighthearted, fun, and everyone’s beautiful.”
The history of the musical is nothing short of fascinating. The concept originated from producer Victor Freedley, who was living on a ship to avoid creditors in the U.S. He selected P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton as writers and the comedy icon Ethel Merman to star. Originally written in the 1920s, Bolton and Wodehouse’s story was meant to be a comedy following a shipwreck. However, before the rehearsal process began, there was a disastrous marine tragedy off the coast of New Jersey: the burning of the SS Morro Castle, in which 134 lives were lost. The project seemed insensitive, and Freedley insisted on changes to the script. The project was picked up by director Howard Lindsay and press agent Russell Crouse (as Bolton and Wodehouse were unavailable) and the roles of Billy Crocker and Moonface Martin were written by comedy duo William Gaxton and Victor Moore. Gaxton’s talent for disguises was even written into the script, something audiences have found delightfully funny for years. Cole Porter wrote the lyrics and music to accompany the new story, and the musical debuted in 1934—right in the middle of the Great Depression.
Since then, the production has been wildly successful, winning nine Tony Awards, ten Drama Desk Awards, and a significant collection of others. It recently won Best Revival in 2011 with Sutton Foster as Reno. Enloe’s Theatre Department is using the 1987 libretto, or the “Beaumont Version”, named after the theater it was originally performed in. The orchestration was changed from a 28-piece band to a 16-piece swing band in the style of early Benny Goodman.
Whereas many schools would be intimidated by this ambitious music, Enloe’s band members are more than up to the task. “When I was thinking of what show to do,” Thornton says, “I thought, ‘this is perfect’, because we have such an amazing jazz band.” Her instincts were entirely correct. Pit orchestra member Andrew Long (12th) expresses his excitement at working on the production. “I did pit to challenge myself on doubling,” he says. Long plays the part of Reed 1, and is in charge of playing alto saxophone, clarinet, and some flute and piccolo. A longtime player of jazz, Long enjoys the show from the musical side. “It’s really upbeat,” he says. “It makes you want to dance.”
But perhaps what takes a show from good to great is the cast of characters. Filled
with rich engaged couples to Public Enemy #13, Enloe’s actors have the full expanse of comedy laid at their feet. Elizabeth Sullivan plays the iconic role of nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, who has been played by stars such as Patti Lupone, Sutton Foster, Stephanie J. Block, and of course, Ethel Merman. “They’ve all shaped the path of the sound of musical theatre,” Sullivan says, “and they’re all just such talented and strong women...to be able to take on something that they did is cool, but also, since they’re all so talented, the [role] is extremely hard.” And the role is infamously challenging, forcing the actress to switch between belting in the stratosphere to a huge dance number and right back again (leaving the performer very out of breath). But the young star is unperturbed. Enloe theatre is a home to Sullivan, especially in the midst of the dreaded college audition season. “It’s really hard, when you’re stressed out, and you feel judged, and you feel like you’re not really seen, this [show] reminds me of why I’m doing this.”
The casting is particularly heartfelt to Sullivan, because her grandmother used to call her a “young Ethel Merman”, the original star of Anything Goes. “I’ve always wanted to do a Golden Age show,” she says. “It’s how I learned to sing...I grew up listening to that kind of stuff.” She’s also excited to do a comedic show her senior year, performing with the same cast members she began her high school journey with. “It’s very bittersweet...Ricky, Caroline, Matt, Jason, and I were the five freshmen in Into the Woods, and now we’re all leads...it’s so fun to work with them and it’s so sad this is the last time.” Though it may be their last time all on the stage together, they finally get to enjoy a musical that’s “just fun”.
So if you’re looking for a pick-me-up musical or simply a show filled with talented performers, go see Anything Goes! Rich in history, music, performers, and more, it truly is an exploration into everything Enloe is capable of achieving. It may not be a deep and painful criticism of the flaws of society, but sometimes—or even much of the time—watching something to make you laugh is just as important.
