By Alessandra Djurklou, for Press Telegram
Great Cole Porter songs make 'Anything Goes' the top

Musical Theatre West opened its production of Broadway classic "Anything Goes" at the Carpenter Center last weekend. And let's face it - as musicals go, this one has a silly plot (shenanigans on an ocean liner a la "Love Boat") and off-the-wall characters (an evangelist-turned-nightclub singer and a mobster dressed as a priest). But what makes it such a watchable piece of entertainment is not the plot nor the characters, but Cole Porter's music.

This show is full of amazing tunes, from the titular "Anything Goes" to "I Get a Kick Out of You" to "You're the Top." Porter's music, moreover, is deceptively tricky, and so requires definite vocal skills.

Musical Theatre West, though, has brought in more than adequate talent for this one. Under musical director Diane King Vann and director/choreographer Dan Mojica, the cast, particularly the leads, really make this show one of the best the company has put forth in a while.

Like most classic musicals, this one is about love. Wall Street trader Billy Crocker (Kevin Earley) has been commissioned by his boss, Elisha Whitney (Karl Jaecke) to sell Whitney's shares in a company before they drop in value. Whitney is set to take a ship to London, and when Crocker goes to see him off, Crocker realizes the woman he loves, Hope Harcourt (Melissa Fahn), is also on board. Not only that, but she is engaged to Lord Evelyn (Gordon Goodman). So Crocker decides to stow away to try to convince her to marry him instead. He gets some help from evangelist-turned-nightclub singer Reno Sweeney (Belle Calaway), gangster Moonface Martin (John Massey Jr.) and gangster's moll Erma (Lesli Margherita). How will it all turn out?

Earley, who just finished playing the lead in "Johnny Guitar" at the La Mirada Theater, has an incredible voice. Add that to some boyish charm and nice timing and you get a great Billy Crocker. Fahn also has a great voice. Yes, her Hope is rather a sap, but Fahn gives her some good dimension and kicks some serious rear end on her big ballad "Goodbye Little Dream, Goodbye." Earley and Fahn also have nice rapport, and do a very nice job on "It's De-Lovely."

Though Crocker is ostensibly the lead, the scene-stealer in this show is Reno Sweeney, who aspires to be Billy's girlfriend but realizes they're better off as friends. Calaway is fantastic as Reno, and she has all the big numbers, and pulls them off perfectly. Her real topper, however, is "Blow Gabriel Blow."

Massey plays Reno's friend Moonface with great comedic skill, particularly on his big number, "Be Like the Bluebird." But Massey is no match for Margherita, who vamps sailors and audience members alike with great success, including the fun "There'll Always be a Lady Fair."

Goodman is good as the clueless Lord Evelyn, and does well on "The Gypsy in Me." Jaecke is amusing as Whitney, particularly with his love interest, Evangeline Harcourt (Allyce Beasley). Beasley will be familiar to "Moonlighting" fans - she played Agnes the secretary, and while her mannerisms here are not all that different from Agnes', her performance is very enjoyable.

A fun detail in the show is Cheeky, the dog Evangeline totes around for most of the show. Though uncredited in the program, Cheeky is remarkably patient considering he/she is a living prop throughout, suffering a few indignities of his own. He also reinforced the old saw about not letting animals upstage you - though he did very well, a leash is a must in a future performance.

7/13/2006

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