Tony Tuesday: Anything Goes
This week we’re only going back to 2011 but the musical itself was one of the first ever shows. A buffet of trail-blazing 1930’s tap! Today’s TONY Tuesday is:
“Anything Goes” from Anything Goes at the 2011 TONY awards ceremony.
Anything Goes is a rip-roaring tale aboard the ocean liner the SS American. It chronicles the adventures of a group of passengers on a crossing from New York to England. Billy Crocker has stowed away upon the ship in the hope that he may be able to steal the heart of Hope Harcourt away from her fiancé, Lord Evelyn Oakley. Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, who is fond of Billy, helps him in his quest alongside Moonface Martin, a second-rate gangster who assumes many disguises on board to stop himself being caught.
The idea came to original producer, Vinton Freedley, when he was living aboard a boat and thought about a musical that portrayed the madcap adventures of the passengers aboard an ocean liner. After selecting Cole Porter to pen the score and the writing team of P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, the show began to be written, however a few weeks before the show opened, rewrites were demanded and as the original writing pair were back in London, Freedley engaged director Howard Lindsay to rewrite the book with press agent Russel Crouse. People are divided as to why the rewrites were necessary, some argue it was because of a recent boating disaster and some elements of the show would be considered poor taste, or that it was in fact just because the book of the musical was a complete shambles.
The show opened at The Alvin Theatre (now Neil Simon) on Broadway on 21 November 1934. This production was choreographed by Robert Alton, directed by Howard Lindsay with set design by Donald Oenslager. The opening night cast included Ethel Merman as Reno, William Gaxton as Billy, Bettina Hall as Hope, Victor Moore as Moonface and Leslie Barrie as Lord Evelyn Oakley. At the time of its closure, the show was the fourth longest running musical of the 1930’s, which was a massive achievement considering it was launched during the great depression.
The original West End production opened the following year at The Palace Theatre. Wodehouse was brought back to adapt the script so it would translate to a British audience more effectively. Jeanne Aubert starred as Reno with Jack Whiting as Billy, Adele Dixon as Hope, Sydney Howard as Moonface and Peter Haddon as Lord Evelyn Oakley.
The show has been revived on Broadway and the West End many times with notable stars. Reno has been played by Patti Lupone, Elaine Page, Sally Ann Triplett, Stephanie J. Block and Sutton Foster. John Barrowman and Colin Donell have portrayed Billy, whilst Bernard Cribbins, Martin Marquez and Joel Grey have all taken on Moonface.
The show was revived in 1987 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre starring Patti Lupone, directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Michael Smuin, winning several TONY awards. This production was seen by Elaine Page who decided to co-produced its West End transfer with her then partner, lyricist Tim Rice, so she could star in the revival which ran at the Prince Edward. The show was also revived at the National in 2002, directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Stephen Mear. It starred Sally Ann Triplett as Reno. The show transferred to Theatre Royal Drury Lane where it continued its run for just less than a year.
The most recent Broadway revival took to The Stephen Sondheim Theatre on 7 April 2011, starring Sutton Foster as Reno, Colin Donnell as Billy, Laura Osnes as Hope, Joel Grey as Moonface and Adam Godley as Evelyn Oakley. The show was directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall and was a hit, extending multiple times and winning several TONY’s before closing on 8 July 2012.
The revival production also played a US national tour in 2012, starring Rachel York as Reno.
Anything Goes is a sublime example of quintessential Broadway and if you haven’t listened to it already Besties, why not? I was fortunate enough to see the 2011 Broadway revival and let me tell you, the term sensational doesn’t even cover it!
Cast recordings available on Spotify and AppleMusic.
FACTS:
Music: Cole Porter
Lyrics: Cole Porter
Book: Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse and various.
Theatre: The Alvin Theatre and The Stephen Sondheim
Run: 21 November 1934 (420 performances)
7 April 2011 – 8 July 2012 (32 previews, 525 regular performances)
TONYS:
() indicate 2011 revival
(NOMINATED) Best Direction of a Musical – Jerry Zaks (Kathleen Marshall), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical – Howard McGillin, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Patti LuPone, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical - Anthony Heald (Adam Godley), Best Scenic Design of a Musical – Tony Walton (Derek McLane), Best Costume Design of a Musical – Tony Walton (Martin Pakledinaz), Best Lighting Design – Paul Gallo (Peter Kaczorowski), Best Sound Design – Brian Ronan.
(WON) Best Revival of a Musical – 1988 (2011), Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – (Sutton Foster), Best Choreography – Michael Smuin (Kathleen Marshall), Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – Bill McCutcheon.
