There are a lot of things this world could do with more of and that includes Cole Porter musicals. Porchlight Music Theatre must have sensed that void when it decided to launch its 90th anniversary production of one of Porter’s timeless jewels, Anything Goes. Now playing at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, the freewheeling romp through the mind and handiwork of a roguishly witty musical giant puts a whole new slant on what it is to be wowed.
The musical comedy’s origin story plays a factor in its ability to stay so vibrantly relevant. Created during the Depression, one of the bleakest periods of modern history, Anything Goes wanted to offer the public relief and release through unabashed frivolity. And, as Director Michael Weber rightly concludes in his program notes, Cole Porter was the secret weapon whose music and lyrics insured that it was delivered with a healthy dose of relatability and plenty of spice.
Over time, even the finest rose can benefit from a little gilding. At 90, Anything Goes remains firmly grounded in the original book by P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. But a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman has also found its way into this latest iteration. The changes amount to shading differences in how minor characters are portrayed and have had the effect of endowing the classic with a tighter flow. This Anything Goes also has the distinction of debuting a newly commissioned libretto.
It might not be quite as true today and it was in the 1930s, but you can imagine how embarking on a cruise from New York to London could be viewed as a delicious fantasy; and act as a great backdrop to comedic intrigue. A constantly writhing plot, a fat clutch of wildly colorful characters and a score that’ll have you bouncing in your seat are also on board to insure Anything Goes lives up to its name.
Claiming that love sits at the center of this story would be the natural first impulse. But in so many cases on this ship, as it is in life, there’s a practical side to romance. A side where one party stands to gain materially from their relationship with someone else. Accompanied by her mother, Evangeline Harcourt (Genevieve VenJohnson), Hope (Emma Ogea), is on her way to England to marry her wealthy fiancé, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Jackson Evans). He’s making the crossing with them. The marriage will save the women from “living in hotels” for the rest of their lives. Billy Crocker (Luke Nowakowski), a broker she had brief but passionate interlude with after a recent party, is seeing his boss, Elisha Whitney (Anthony Whitaker) off on a business trip. Billy’s decided to stowaway and try to win Hope back. Compounding his challenge, he has the unwanted honor of having his own admirer, other than Hope, on the ship. Reno Sweeney, a shrewd, leggy and world wise entertainer played majestically by Meghan Murphy, not only knows when to bow out; she’s also expert at adjusting her aim. A performer who can send the chandeliers quivering whenever she sings, her solo rendition of I Get a Kick Out of You early in the show was an introduction to a powerhouse. That solo, along with the orchestra’s scorching Anything Goes overture, were the first clues to how hot this performance was going to be.
Stowing away must have been a thing in the 30s because Billy’s not the only one trying to fly under the radar. Public enemy #13, gangster Moonface Martin (Steve McDonagh), with the help of his moll, Erma (Tafadzwa Diener), has also slipped on board. Moonface and Reno share a little history back in New York. Their rendition of Friendship was one of the highlights of the first act and showcased Porter’s ability to capture complex sentiments with simplicity, matchless clarity and keenly incisive wit.
Porter’s candid depiction of the sultry side of life often got him in trouble with censors; and sometimes kept his music off the radio. That acceptance and embrace of the risqué shine brilliantly in both the plot line and the music of this anniversary treat. It also added sizzle to cast performances. Diener, as Moonface’s gleefully voluptuous companion, Erma; stole the limelight every time she appeared on stage with her lovely portrayal of a high spirited vixen. So torrid you thought the flames of Hell might start flickering through the floor boards, Blow, Gabriel, Blow was a gloriously raucous and wickedly marvelous send up on the many impediments to personal salvation. And, watching Evelyn’s suggestive cavorting while singing The Gypsy in Me only proved how beautifully the mildly salacious and charmingly comic can co-exist in absolute harmony.
Fun and blissful escape packaged by masters, Porchlight’s presentation of Anything Goes is something anyone with a heart, a funny bone and a love for the superb can relish. A study in the fascinating beauty of balanced symmetry, tight precision and the execution of dynamically exciting movement, Tammy Mader’s choreography sparkled brighter than those fancy rocks on display in the Tower of London. Rachael Dec, Emily Ling Mei, Hannah Remian and Nataki Rennie; as the show’s primary back up dancers, made hoofing look heavenly. Together they can be counted as another secret weapon propelling Anything Goes to exceptional. Granted, some of the individual performances within the musical may have gone a little too distractingly big; but, in context, even they had their appeal. With a cast of this caliber, talent alone can make you want to linger under its spell.
Anything Goes
Porchlight Music Theatre
Extended through March 10, 2024
Venue: Ruth Page Center for the Arts
1016 N. Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60610
Tickets / Info: PorchlightMusicTheatre.org/Anything-Goes or by calling 773.777.9884
