Reviewed by Tony Annicone
Welcome to the 1930’s aboard the luxury liner S.S. American sailing from New York to London with a group of unusual passengers. Reagle Music Theatre of Boston’s second show of their 50th season is the classic 1934 musical “Anything Goes” by Cole Porter. The show was originally written for Ethel Merman back in the 1930’s. It was revised in 1962 and again in 1987 when it starred Patti Lupone as Reno. The premise of the show is boy, Billy Crocker, who loves girl, Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to wealthy British suitor, Sir Evelyn, who is pursued by singing and dancing evangelist Reno Sweeney. Throw in boy’s heavy drinking boss, girl’s overbearing and domineering mother, public enemy # 13 and his sexy gun moll, Reno’s fallen angels, the captain, crew and assorted passengers. Director Eileen Grace infuses this show with high energy as well as supplying the fabulous choreography while Dan Rodriguez supplies the fantastic musical direction. Their combined expertise makes this one of the must see musicals of the summer season.
Eileen directs this madcap, fun musical excellently. She keeps the pacing of the wild antics of the cast in constant motion. Her blocking of this huge show and especially her choreography is outstanding. Eileen’s dynamite dance numbers include tap, tango, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers style dancing, the Charleston and many others. The two show stopping numbers are the breathtaking tap dance to “Anything Goes” at the end of Act 1 and the gospel revival dance to “Blow Gabriel Blow” in Act 2. Dan conducts a superb sixteen piece orchestra with incredible sounds from the brass and obtains gorgeous harmonies from the cast in “Bon Voyage”, “There’ll Always be a Lady Fair”, “Anything Goes”, “Public Enemy Number One” and “Blow Gabriel Blow.” The outstanding leading lady is Leigh Barrett. She is very sultry, charming and alluring in this role of Reno Sweeney. Leigh delivers her one liners with the power and punch they need. She is a triple threat performer who delivers the goods with her strong voice and dancing prowess. Leigh dances up a storm with Billy in “You’re the Top” with Moonface in “Friendship” and with Evelyn, a sexy tango in “The Gypsy in Me.” She also tap dances in “Anything Goes” and leads the dancers in “Blow Gabriel Blow”, too. Reno is tough as nails but shows a softer side when she sings “I Get a Kick Out of You” when she puts the moves on Billy at the start of the show. Leigh makes this role her own like Merman and Lupone before her.
Her fantastic leading man is Jared Troilo as Billy. He’s another triple threat performer. Jared handles his comic shtick perfectly. He also possesses a marvelous tenor voice which he displays in “You’re the Top” with Reno, “Easy to Love” and “It’s DeLovely” with Hope as well as “All Through the Night” with both Hope and the crew. Jared displays his dancing prowess in “You’re the Top” with Reno and “It’s DeLovely” with Hope. His falsetto is terrific when he pretends to be an old lady in a wheelchair at the start of this number. Billy’s many comic disguises are hilarious as he tries to escape from the purser and the other sailors. I first reviewed Jared in the chorus of “Aida” in 2014 and he recently won an IRNE Award for “She Loves Me” this past April. The lovely Libby Rosenfield plays Hope who is engaged to Sir Evelyn but really loves Billy. Libby’s soprano voice is heard in the romantic duet “It’s DeLovely” in the poignant “Goodbye Little Dream, Goodbye” and in the plaintive “All Through the Night.” She displays her dancing skills in the duet and in the gospel number. Tall, handsome and debonair Mark Linehan is perfect as the prim and proper British, Lord Evelyn who is very foppish. His misunderstandings of American terms and slang are laugh out loud moments in the show. Mark has a terrific British accent and a powerful voice which is heard in “Gypsy in Me”, a bawdy and naughty number that leaves them rolling in the aisles especially when he wiggles his ass at the audience. He is a hoot in this role and his antics are priceless. Mark tackles the role of Harold Hill next in “The Music Man” at Reagle in August.
J.T. Turner steals many scenes as Moonface Martin, Public Enemy # 13 while Ansley Speares is comical as his gun moll, Erma. J.T. is fabulous in this role and his thuglike behavior is hilarious. I usually see him as Mr. Fezziwig in “A Christmas Carol” at NSMT so it’s a treat to see him do such a different character. J.T.’s two songs “Friendship” duet and “Be Like the Bluebird” solo are marvelous and are laugh out loud moments. His strong voice and dancing prowess shine in these two numbers. Ansley returns to Reagle after playing Val in “A Chorus Line” here in June. She plays the man crazy Erma who loves every man she meets. Her eleventh hour number stops the show as she dances a soft shoe with the sailors in “Buddie Beware” which wins thunderous applause. Two other comic performers are Rick Sherburne as Billy’s drunken boss, Elisha who displays his voice in “I Want to Row on the Crew” and Karen Fanale as Hope’s snooty mother, Mrs. Harcourt which she plays to the hilt. Both of them win many laughs all night long. Special praise to the sailor quartet of Louis Brogna, Michael Brent Hicks, Chris Adam King and Brian Soutner on their four part harmony in “There’s Always a Lady Fair.” Kudos also to the singing and dancing chorus who do astounding work especially the tap dance, revival dance and soft shoe. So for a magnificent rendition of this classic musical, be sure to catch “Anything Goes”, Reagle’s second musical of their 50th season before they tap dance their way out of town. A word of praise to Scenographics for the two story ship set and Costume World Theatrical for all the gorgeous 1930’s costumes.
ANYTHING GOES (5 to 15 July)
Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham, MA
1(781)891-5600 or www.reaglemusictheatre.org
