The classic production Anything Goes is back on the musical theatre scene and is currently on tour across North America, visiting St. Louis, Washington, Schenectady, Toronto, Costa Mesa, Portland, Spokane and Seattle. This splendid new production produced by the Roundhouse Theatre Company will feature all the iconic tracks such as ‘I get a Kick out of You’, ‘It’s De-Lovely’ and ‘Anything Goes’, with the legendary Cole Porter the genius behind the music and lyrics of this sassy Broadway musical.
Anything Goes is based on the original book collaboration by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, and tells the story behind the S.S. American heading out to sea to London from New York, with two unlikely pairs setting off on the course to true love with mad antics along the way. Destiny then receives a little help in delivering the love from a crew of singing sailors, an exotic disguise, and of course some blackmail! The protagonists’ bumpy ride is levelled out by Kathleen Marshall’s fantastic work as Tony Award winner choreographer, providing audiences with an all-round entertaining trip out. Marshall has also worked on musical productions such as The Pajama Game and Grease.
Anything Goes is the winner of three Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, having been revived several times in the United States and Great Britain. The musical has also been filmed twice and is an extremely popular choice for school and community productions since its performance debut in 1934 at the Alvin (now Neil Simon) Theatre on Broadway. Charles B. Cochran, a British theatrical manager, bought the London performance rights and brought the show to the West End’s Palace Theatre opening in 1935 and running for 261 performances. The National Theatre then revived the music and opened it at the Olivier Theatre in 2002, with the production then transferring to the West End’s Theatre Royal from 2003 for a year.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.