By Eric Schoen
The year was 1933. Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as president. Prohibition ended. Americans were looking for a glimmer of hope after dealing with economic catastrophe and failed government policies. People were craving for a Broadway show with sophisticated, tuneful songs that would allow them to forget the troubled world they lived in, laugh, and enjoy a lifestyle they craved but sadly could not afford.
It’s 2018. The economy is recovering. People are back to work with the lowest unemployment rate in years. Folks are turning the television and all its breaking news alerts off, craving a musical that will allow them to forget everything going on around them and sit back, relax, laugh and be entertained.
And that, my friends, is what the Westchester Broadway Theater delivers in a sparkling revival of “Anything Goes,” on stage through the beginning of September. Gather the family together for a musical that all ages will enjoy.
Grab your tickets before the ship leaves without you!
“Anything Goes” is set aboard the ocean liner S.S. American, where nightclub singer/evangelist Reno Sweeney is en route from New York to England. Her pal Billy Crocker has stowed away to be near his love, Hope Harcourt, but the problem is Hope is engaged to the wealthy Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Joining this love triangle on board the luxury liner are Public Enemy No. 13, Moonface Martin and his sidekick-in-crime, Erma. With the help of some elaborate disguises, tap-dancing sailors and good, old-fashioned blackmail, Reno and Martin join forces to help Billy in his quest to win Hope’s heart.
Expect to leave the theater humming the glorious Cole Porter tunes “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “It’s De-Lovely,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” “Friendship,” “All Through The Night,” and many more. Try to find another musical on Broadway that offers so many songs that have become part of our musical vocabulary.
Stacia Fernandez as Reno Sweeney belts the glorious score a la Ethel Merman, who starred in the original. Zach Trimmer as Billy Crocker and Jackie Raye as Hope Harcourt dazzle the audience in the wonderful “It’s De-Lovely” number and throughout the show. And let’s not forget Jon Peters who keeps everyone on their toes as Moonface Martin.
Speaking of toes, the tap dancing is not to be missed. Considered one of the greatest tap dancing musicals of all time, Westchester Broadway Theater has gathered a cast of tappers that will leave you craving more.
Opening on Broadway in 1934, revived off-Broadway in 1962 and on-Broadway in 1987, as well as 2011 – winning three 2011 Tony Awards including “best musical revival” – the show is a gem that that has not lost its luster over these many years.
During these hot summer months, sit back, enjoy a delicious meal (I had the chicken and my guest had the beef dish – both are top notch) and let the cool breezes flowing from the S.S. American let you sail away and for a few short hours put you in a place you dream of being. Bon voyage!
