Review: 'Anything Goes' at Sharon Playhouse

Dedicated to the family of pit musician Daniel Koch and remembering a son who appeared on the Sharon Playhouse stage

Sharon, CT - Sharon Playhouse opened their 2018 Season of Hits with an outstanding production of the old-time musical ANYTHING GOES. Artistic Director Alan M-L Wager welcomed the audience to the Saturday matinee and reminded us that this year Sharon Playhouse is celebrating their 59th year of providing live entertainment to the Litchfield county community and beyond. This year the new management team of Mr. Wager and Managing Director Robert Levinstein made an effort to present what audiences have said they wanted to see, and this first production has set the bar very high.

This was my first time seeing ANYTHING GOES; all I knew was that Sutton Foster performed some tap dancing dressed in pants when the show ran on Broadway. The 1934 Cole Porter classic musical is a shipboard romp set aboard the ocean liner S.S. American. There is Billy, the stowaway in love with Hope, but she is engaged to Lord Evelyn. There are Reno Sweeney, a former evangelist and current slinky nightclub singer, and Moonface Martin, proud to be Public Enemy #13, helping Billy win back his love. And old-time hilarity ensues.

Is it dated? Of course, so much so that there is a disclaimer in the program reminding audiences that when this piece was written, depictions of ethnic groups were very different. (Two actors of Asian descent play the characters of Luke and John, two Chinese 'converts' and reformed gamblers who accompany Bishop Henry T. Dobson.) “The Chinese characters in the show are ethnic cartoons. While they are inconsistent with today’s values, they serve a purpose in the plot which makes it impossible to eliminate or alter them.” The breakneck, almost slapstick, scenes move along the madcap story laced liberally with the 17 songs. The glorious Cole Porter score includes “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and “Blow, Gabriel, Blow.” I loved it.

After the opening scenes played out in front of the curtain, the revealed set was the deck of a magnificent ocean liner designed by Jason Myron Wright. Zach Pizza designed the lighting that made the ship reflect the mood of the various musical numbers. Costumes designed by Keith Schneider blew me away; the white gowns worn by Reno’s “angels” featuring skirts of Art deco inspired fabric were simply jaw dropping. I could not wait to see what Reno would be wearing at her next entrance. Hair and wig design by Paula Schaffer was top notch as well, and props by Karla Woodworth, often credited at Warner Theatre shows, was in the charge of the props.

Every musical number was expertly choreographed by Justin Boccitto, with those tap numbers the most memorable. Music director Ben Kiley conducted the smallish orchestra that featured Dan Koch on keyboard II and sounded like a band of the era. Mr. Wager himself directed this supremely talented cast and the result is a big, splashy musical with a heart.

In the great role of Reno Sweeney was Equity member Amanda Lea Lavergne (ANNIE, GREASE on Broadway.) This lovely triple threat simply lit up the stage with great comic timing, a fabulous singing voice and excellent dancing. I looked forward to every minute of her performance and appreciated those frequent costume changes.

Another memorable performance was that of Paul Kreppel in the role of Moonface Martin. This Equity member was spot on as the fading gangster and made me smile everytime he was on the stage. Most impressive of Mr. Kreppel’s credits for me is that he appeared in the original productions of GODSPELL and was part of the national tour of WICKED as The Wizard.

What a great surprise to see Western CT State University students Colin and Tyler Gallaher share the role of the ship’s purser, with both twins appearing on the stage in great white uniforms. I saw Colin’s appearances in the WCSU productions of VIOLET and THE DROWSY CHAPERONE; other credits include THE MUSIC MAN and PETER AND THE STARCATCHER with the Sharon Playhouse. Tyler was also in THE MUSIC MAN in Sharon, and I remembered him in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, VIOLET and EVITA at WCSU.

Tenor Caleb Albert, a recent graduate of Elon University played Billy Crocker with graceful ease in his Sharon Playhouse debut. Seana Nicol was the sultry Erma in her Sharon debut and David Fanning (King Triton in THE LITTLE MERMAID is only one of his roles in his ten shows in Sharon) returned to play the role of the ship’s captain.

Soprano Amara Haaksman was the lovely Hope Harcourt and Edward Miskie was regal and funny as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in his Sharon debut. Bill Morris played the tycoon Elisha J. Whitney; Vincent Law and Daniel Kang Lee Roberts played John and Luke respectively. It was fun to see Emily Soell on this stage again, this time in the role of socialite and Hope’s hopeful mother Evangeline Harcourt. Ms. Soell, the president of the Sharon Playhouse Board of Directors, has previously appeared in THE MUSIC MAN, THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE, DAMN YANKEES and GYPSY.

The talented members of the ensemble that got to play small roles, dancing sailors, ship's crew, passengers, reporters, photographers and F.B.I. agents included Delany Bailey, Quinten Patrick Busey, Jenna Chin, Laurie Ellington, Gabrielle Gutierrez, Nick Gurinsky, Katie Hardin, Taylor Joseph, Michelle Lemon, Monte Stone, Richard Westfahl and Barbara Zucker-Pinchoff.

Join the voyage and continually tap your toes at ANYTHING GOES that runs at the Sharon Playhouse June 15 through July 1, 2018

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton
and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
New Book by Timothy Crouse & John Weidman

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417