Bruce the Blog Beyond Broadway
Syndicated Stage Reviews in Print + Online
BY BRUCE APAR
When Bruce The Blog Watches… People Act
Westchester Broadway Theatre
Presents
ANYTHING GOES
Music + Lyrics by Cole Porter
Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse + Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay + Russel Crouse
New Book by Timothy Crouse + John Weidman
Directed + Choreographed by Richard Stafford
Musical Direction by Patrick Hoagland
Through September 9, 2018
Tickets > BroadwayTheatre.com
The informative program each patron receives at Westchester Broadway Theatre.
I’ve loved Broadway musicals since I was smaller than a piano bench. That’s one reason I enjoy writing about local productions in this space. The more people who go to musicals, the happier it makes me.
I didn’t realize how old-fashioned about musicals I could be, though, until my wife Elyse and I at long last saw Wicked. It only took us 15 years to get there. Last week (on July 12, 2018), it became the sixth-longest-running show in Broadway history, surpassing A Chorus Line.
Here’s the kicker: We were underwhelmed by the overwhelming spectacle that is Wicked. It struck us as more of a gimmicky, dizzying theme park ride than a clear-eyed musical theater experience. As the show biz joke goes, I was more tempted to walk out of there humming the scenery than the songs.
Jackie Raye (as Hope Harcourt) and Zach Trimmer (as Billy Crocker). All photos by John Vecchiolla
It did my gray-hair taste good, then, to see a decidedly simpler, more straightforward style of musical at Westchester Broadway Theater in Elmsford: Anything Goes. The good news is you have the rest of the summer to catch this light-hearted Cole Porter classic, which runs through Sept. 9. If you’re old-fashioned like me, you’ll get a kick out of it. (Ticket information at 914.592.2222; BroadwayTheatre.com).
GAMES OF ROMANTIC CHESS
The cute plot, set aboard an ocean liner headed to New York from England, mixes and matches several couples, with cases of mistaken identity and games of romantic chess. Young stockbroker Billy Crocker (Zach Trimmer) hopes to catch the eye of debutante Hope Harcourt (Jackie Raye), who is engaged to wealthy Englishman Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Kevin Pariseau), while nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Stacia Fernandez) has her own hopes up for hooking up with Billy… and so on. “I’m in love,” Billy tells Reno, who replies, “I’m in cabin 13.”
The story, with a pedigree by way of legendary humorist P.G. Wodehouse, is clever and serviceable enough. It’s also mostly beside the point, as plots usually were in big musicals before Rodgers & Hammerstein teamed up for Oklahoma.
(from left) Zach Trimmer (as Billy Crocker), Jon J. Peterson (as Moonface Martin), Stacia Fernandez (as Reno Sweeney).
In Anything Goes, the Cole Porter songs are the stars and the coolly kinetic tap-dancing is the exuberant heartbeat. Both are well-served under the direction and choreography of Richard Stafford. As captain of the show, he navigates a smooth, steady course that keeps action and production numbers sailing along briskly and seamlessly.
ALL ABOARD FOR A BOATFUL OF COLE PORTER STANDARDS
Kudos go also to musical director Patrick Hoagland for spirited and infectious arrangements of standards like “You’re the Top,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Friendship,” and the title song, all of which set feet a-tappin’ not only on stage, but in the audience too.
Adding greatly to the show’s colorful, upbeat glamour are the set design by Steve Loftus, lighting by Andrew Gmoser, and imaginative nautical and period costumes by Keith Nielsen. The ship is effectively and efficiently depicted with an upper deck and a towering trio of luminescent smokestacks.
The cast of Anything Goes.
Movable set pieces are maneuvered on and off the three-sided proscenium stage with the audience hardly noticing. The brief scene changes upstage are nicely covered by ensemble couples performing ballroom dance movements downstage. It’s a nice touch that keeps the audience in the moment.
BIG, BEAUTIFUL VOICES FILL THE AIR
Kevin Pariseau (as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh) and Stacia Fernandez (as Reno Sweeney).
As Reno Sweeney, Stacia Fernandez is given a rainbow of glittery costumes to wear, highlighted with a sequin number that shines as brightly as her powerful belter voice in the famous showpiece, “Blow, Gabriel Blow.” Her singing throughout is a delight. The same goes for the impressive vocal chops of male lead Zach Trimmer (Billy), who shows impressive range into the high registers; and the beautifully lyrical singing of Jackie Raye (Hope) and Mychal Phillips (Erma).
There also are standout performances from Kevin Pariseau (Lord Evelyn), who has a lot of fun, as does the audience, turning “The Gypsy in Me” into a very funny novelty number; Jon Peterson (Moonface Martin), whose voice reminded me of a cross between comedian Gilbert Gottfried and Nathan Lane’s Timon in “The Lion King”; Bob Walton, sporting a gravity-defying Einstein hairdo as a proud, near-sighted Yalie (Elisha Whitney); and suitably haughty Tina Johnson as a high-society dowager (Mrs. Harcourt).
Westchester Broadway Theatre (WBT) offers single-price tickets that include a full-course dinner and show, as well as show tickets that don’t include dinner.
Following Anything Goes at WBT, starting Sept. 13, is Yeston and Kopit’s Phantom, which the theater says has been its most popular show over the years. (It is not the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.)
The cast of Anything Goes.
Media and marketing specialist Bruce Apar, also known as Bruce The Blog, is Chief Content Officer of Pinpoint Marketing & Design, a Google Partner agency. He also owns APAR All-Media, a Hudson Valley marketing agency. Follow him on Hudson Valley WXYZ on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube. Reach him at bapar@me.com or (914) 275-6887.
Mychal Phillips (as Erma) and The Sailors.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Associate Choreographer Joseph Cullinane
Set Design Steve Loftus
Lighting Design Andrew Gmoser
Sound Design Mark Zuckerman
Costume Designer Keith Nielsen
Hair/Wig design Gerard Kelly
Technical Director Steve Loftus
Production Stage Manager Victor Lukas
Assistant Stage Manager Duane McDevitt
Properties by Grumpy Props
Lisa Tiso Associate Producer
HELPFUL INFO ABOUT WBT
Westchester Broadway Theatre
1 Broadway Plaza
Elmsford, NY 10526
Reservations Call (914)-592-2222 -or- BroadwayTheatre.com
Group Reservations Discounts for groups of 20 or more: call 592-2225.
Luxury Boxes Call 592-8730 for private parties of 6 to 22. Enjoy dining and theatre in an elegant private box. Additional features include an expanded dinner menu, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, private powder room, and Luxury Box reserved parking. Call for pricing details.
Ticket Prices Dinner & Show range between $56-$84 plus tax, depending on performances chosen. Beverage service & gratuities not included in ticket price. Discounts are available for children, students, and senior citizens at selected performances. Also check our website for on-going special offers: BroadwayTheatre.com
Coming to WBT Mainstage
*Yeston & Kopit’s Phantom – September 13 – November 25, 2018
A Christmas Carol – November 29 – December 23, 2018
*Phantom returns — December 27, 2018 – January 27, 2019
*Not the Andrew Lloyd Webber version
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