Anything Goes

[jackhammer91406]

Took the boss to see this last night at the Ahmanson Theater here in Los Angeles. This production is mounted by the Roundabout Theater Company which also produced the recent Tony award winning revival in 2011.

 

I had never seen the show before so although I knew many of the famous Cole Porter songs, I wasn't familiar with the book. This production is very slick. It has the feel of a classic 30's musical complete with "Fred and Ginger" type dance numbers and a high energy tap dancing first act finale of the title song.

 

Rachel York headlines as the lounge singer Reno Sweeney. She has a sexy deep whiskey type voice and classic "dame" type body language that really works for me in this role. The rest of the cast is equally fine and overall, I liked the show. Boy, the butts on the male dancers dressed in tight sailor whites added another dimension to the fun for me.

 

My straight boss had no experience or knowledge of Cole Porter (he said) or even 30's musicals, but he was very entertained and couldn't stop talking about it afterward. I had told him he would probably recognize a few of the songs once he heard them and it was fun (if a bit painful) when he would punch me in the upper arm as he heard a song he had heard before (which started with the very first number and continued throughout the show). By my count 7 of the songs were top twenty in their day including: I Get A Kick Out of You, You're The Top, Easy To Love, Friendship, It's De-Lovely, Anything Goes, and Blow Gabriel Blow.

 

The show plays nightly (except Mondays and dark Dec 24-25th) through January 6th.

If you can let yourself be transported back to the 30's and leave more contemporary musical fare behind, then you will like this show.

[operalover21]

Took the boss to see this last night at the Ahmanson Theater here in Los Angeles. This production is mounted by the Roundabout Theater Company which also produced the recent Tony award winning revival in 2011.

 

I had never seen the show before so although I knew many of the famous Cole Porter songs, I wasn't familiar with the book. This production is very slick. It has the feel of a classic 30's musical complete with "Fred and Ginger" type dance numbers and a high energy tap dancing first act finale of the title song.

 

Rachel York headlines as the lounge singer Reno Sweeney. She has a sexy deep whiskey type voice and classic "dame" type body language that really works for me in this role. The rest of the cast is equally fine and overall, I liked the show. Boy, the butts on the male dancers dressed in tight sailor whites added another dimension to the fun for me.

 

My straight boss had no experience or knowledge of Cole Porter (he said) or even 30's musicals, but he was very entertained and couldn't stop talking about it afterward. I had told him he would probably recognize a few of the songs once he heard them and it was fun (if a bit painful) when he would punch me in the upper arm as he heard a song he had heard before (which started with the very first number and continued throughout the show). By my count 7 of the songs were top twenty in their day including: I Get A Kick Out of You, You're The Top, Easy To Love, Friendship, It's De-Lovely, Anything Goes, and Blow Gabriel Blow.

 

The show plays nightly (except Mondays and dark Dec 24-25th) through January 6th.

If you can let yourself be transported back to the 30's and leave more contemporary musical fare behind, then you will like this show.[/color][/size][/font]

 

Of course, they've added songs from other shows that weren't in the original including Easy to Love from the movie Born to Dance which was first sung by James Stewart to the great Eleanor Powell!

 

How wonderful that you introduced your boss to this great music but, oh so sad, that he didn't know who Cole Porter was. At least he does now. Bravo!

[+ WilliamM]

Of course, they've added songs from other shows that weren't in the original including Easy to Love from the movie Born to Dance which was first sung by James Stewart to the great Eleanor Powell!

 

 

True, but the other six songs were originally sung by Ethel Merman, if not in "Anything Goes," in other Cole Poter Broadway musicals.

 

And Merman sang all six songs often for the rest her life, especially I Get A Kick Out of You and Blow Gabriel Blow. So there are many worse cases of dropping songs into musical revivals because Merman esssentially played the same character in all her Cole Porter musicals.

[operalover21]

True, but the other six songs were originally sung by Ethel Merman, if not in "Anything Goes," in other Cole Poter Broadway musicals.

 

And Merman sang all six songs often for the rest her life, especially I Get A Kick Out of You and Blow Gabriel Blow. So there are many worse cases of dropping songs into musical revivals because Merman esssentially played the same character in all her Cole Porter musicals.

 

I realize that. I just think it's unfortunate when they do some of these revivals that they don't have faith in the material and have to all that sort of thing. I'm surprised the Porter estate isn't more vigilant about that. I'm fairly certain that the Rodgers & Hammerstein and Irving Berlin estates wouldn't permit such a thing. For good reason, IMHO.

 

I suppose they completely changed the book as well which is the only way you can drop in songs like Friendship and It's Delovely.

[+ WilliamM]

I realize that. I just think it's unfortunate when they do some of these revivals that they don't have faith in the material and have to all that sort of thing. I'm surprised the Porter estate isn't more vigilant about that. I'm fairly certain that the Rodgers & Hammerstein and Irving Berlin estates wouldn't permit such a thing. For good reason, IMHO.

 

I suppose they completely changed the book as well which is the only way you can drop in songs like Friendship and It's Delovely.

 

Despite my earlier comments, I do agree. I am sure you are aware of the 1954 TV version of "Anything Goes" with Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra and Bert Lahr. As good as it it to see Merman in her prime, the story is almost completely lost in favor of Cole Poter songs, many of which have already been mentioned. I believe it is available from Amazon. It's very difficult to believe Merman and Sinatra as love interests. But, it's more a concert than a Broadway musical, so it's not a big issue.

[+ Lucky]

The gay magazine Frontiers had an article on the show with these photos:

 

11/19/2012

http://www.frontiersla.com/Features/Exclusive-Interviews/story.aspx?ID=1822368

 

http://www.frontiersla.com/Pics/Exclusive%20Interviews%202/Anything%20Goes%20Photo%2017.jpg

 

 

http://www.frontiersla.com/Pics/Exclusive%20Interviews%202/Anything-Goes-Photo-03.jpg

 

Even other productions knew how to feature their sailors:

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmpj8pk6lR1qfkhxeo1_500.jpg

[operalover21]

Despite my earlier comments, I do agree. I am sure you are aware of the 1954 TV version of "Anything Goes" with Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra and Bert Lahr. As good as it it to see Merman in her prime, the story is almost completely lost in favor of Cole Poter songs, many of which have already been mentioned. I believe it is available from Amazon. It's very difficult to believe Merman and Sinatra as love interests. But, it's more a concert than a Broadway musical, so it's not a big issue.

 

I have that on DVD. Egads. It's nice to have the music but were two people ever more mismatched (okay Streisand and Matthau have them beat in Hello Dolly, the film) than Sinatra and Merman?