"Anything Goes" @ WSU (Ogden: Jan 28 - Feb 5)

Anything Goes!

Who: Weber State University Department of Performing Arts
What: Anything Goes, directed by Jim Christian
music and lyrics by Cole Porter • book by Guy Bolton & P.G. Wodehouse
When: JAN 28, 29, FEB 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 • 7:30 PM • JAN 29 & FEB 5: 2:00 PM • 2011
Where: Allred Theater, Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: $10 /$7 • Dee Events Center Tickets: 1-800-WSU-TIKS or weberstatetickets.com

Weber State University Department of Performing Arts presents “Anything Goes,” with music and lyrics by Cole Porter; book by Guy Bolton & P.G. Wodehouse; and directed by Jim Christian, opening January 28 and continuing January 29, February 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 at 7:30 PM; and 2PM matinee performances on Saturday January 29 and February 5; Allred Theater, Val A. Browning Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $10 /$7 at the door or in advance(recommended) through Dee Events Center Tickets: 1-800-WSU-TIKS or weberstatetickets.com.

On a New York-to-London ocean liner a stowaway, Billy, is in love with Hope, an heiress engaged to Lord Evelyn. Billy is assisted by a nightclub singer, Reno, and Public Enemy #13 and his woman. With those ingredients, this 1934 song and dance extravaganza defines madcap and/or screwball comedy.

Jim Christian, asked why he selected the play says, “Anything Goes is truly one of the classics of American Musical Theatre. It is the only surviving piece from 1930s theatre that sees regular production.

“Cole Porter deserves presentation as a great composer/lyricist. His music is smart, sassy, and reflective of the bounce-back from the Depression. It also shows the influence of Hollywood and sound films, selecting from the best elements of Fred and Ginger AND the Marx Brothers.”

Scenic Designer and WSU Theatre faculty, Van Tinkham, was told to imagine a Blue Curacao Cocktail with a trim ship on an ocean this color. Tropical Sun. Convertible scenery with dance-able stairs and raised platforms. Tinkham’s solutions are charming and clever.

This is a prescription for Depression-era blues, regardless of the date. The successful play was made in to a movie twice (1936 and 1956). The musical, revised, enjoyed a Broadway revival in 1962 and 1987 with another Broadway production opening April 7, 2011.

“According to theatre legend, the show’s title, along with the title number, was born . . . at a late-night production meeting (when) an exasperated and over-worked member of the production team cried out:

“And just how . . are we going to end the first act?”

“At this point,” responded one of the producers, being more helpful than he realized, “anything goes!”
(Wikipedia)


For more information about this production, contact Jim Christian, 801-626-6992 or jchristian@weber.edu.