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Anything Goes. Musical. Writers: Guy Bolton P.G. Wodehouse Howard Lindsay Russel Crouse John Weidman Timothy Crouse Cole Porter. Plot. ACT ONE. The action opens in a smoky bar in Manhattan. Elisha J. Whitney, a Wall Street tycoon, is enjoying his seventh drink while waiting for his assistant, Billy Crocker.
- History
- Synopsis
- Characters
- Musical Numbers
- Notable Productions
- Film Versions
- Television Version
- Financial Data
- Recordings
- In Popular Culture
The original idea for a musical set on board an ocean liner came from producer Vinton Freedley, who was living on a boat, having left the US to avoid his creditors. He selected the writing team, P. G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton, and the star, Ethel Merman. The first draft of the show was called Crazy Week, which became Hard to Get, and finally Anythi...
Four versions of the libretto of Anything Goes exist: the original 1934 libretto, the 1962 off-Broadway revival libretto, the 1987 revival libretto, and the 2011 revival libretto. The story has been revised, though all involve similar romantic complications aboard the SS Americanand feature the same major characters. The score has been altered, wit...
Reno Sweeney — a sultry evangelistturned nightclub singer and an old friend of BillyBilly Crocker — a young Wall Street broker in love with HopeMoonface Martin — a second-rate gangster, "Public EnemyNumber 13"Hope Harcourt — an American debutanteAct I
1. "Overture" – Orchestra 2. "I Get a Kick Out of You" (follows "Friendship" in 1962)– Reno Sweeney 3. "There's No Cure Like Travel (reinstated for 1987, 2011)/ Bon Voyage" – Sailor, Girl and Ship's Crew and Company 4. "All Through the Night" (follows "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" in 1962 and "Be Like The Bluebird" in 1987, 2011)– Billy Crocker, Hope Harcourt and Men 5. "It's De-Lovely" (added in 1962, follows "Friendship" in 1987, 2011)– Billy Crocker and Hope Harcourt 6. "Easy to Love" (reinstated...
Act II
1. "Entr'acte" – Orchestra 2. "Public Enemy Number One" – Captain, Purser, Company 3. "Let's Step Out" (only in 1962)– Bonnie and Company 4. "Let's Misbehave" (only in 1962)– Reno Sweeney and Lord Evelyn Oakleigh 5. "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" – Reno Sweeney and Company 6. "Goodbye, Little Dream, Goodbye" (added in 1987, 2011)– Hope Harcourt 7. "Be Like the Bluebird" – Moonface Martin 8. "All Through the Night (Reprise)" (cut in 1987, 2011)– Billy Crocker and Hope Harcourt 9. "I Get a Kick Out of Y...
Broadway
The official Broadway debut was at the Alvin Theatre on November 21, 1934. It ran for 420 performances, becoming the fourth longest-running musical of the 1930s, despite the impact of the Great Depression on Broadway patrons' disposable income. The opening production was directed by Howard Lindsay with choreography by Robert Alton and sets by Donald Oenslager. Today, the show remains a frequently-revived favorite.
West End
Charles B. Cochran, a British theatrical manager, had bought the London performance rights during the show's Boston run, and he produced it at the West End's Palace Theatre. The musical opened on June 14, 1935, and ran for 261 performances. The cast included Jeanne Aubert as Reno Sweeney (the name changed to Reno La Grange, to suit Aubert's French background), Jack Whiting as Billy Crocker, and Sydney Howard as Moonface Martin. P. G. Wodehousewas engaged to replace the specifically American r...
1962 Off-Broadway revival to 1987 Broadway revival
The production was revived in an Off-Broadway production in 1962, opening on May 15, 1962, at the Orpheum Theatre. It was directed by Lawrence Kasha with a cast that included Hal Linden as Billy Crocker, Kenneth Mars as Sir Evelyn, and Eileen Rodgers as Reno Sweeney. For this revival, the script was revised to incorporate several of the changes from the movie versions. Most changes revolved around the previously minor character Bonnie. This revision was also the first stage version of Anythin...
See main article: Anything Goes (1936 film) and Anything Goes (1956 film). In 1936, Paramount Pictures turned Anything Goes into a movie musical. It starred Ethel Merman (the original Reno), with Bing Crosby in the role of Billy Crocker. Other cast members included Ida Lupino, Charles Ruggles, Arthur Treacher, and Grace Bradley. The director was Le...
In 1954, Ethel Merman, at the age of forty-six, reprised her role as Reno in a specially adapted live television version of the musical, co-starring Frank Sinatra as the hero, now renamed Harry Dane; Merman's good friend Bert Lahr (who had co-starred with her on Broadway in DuBarry Was a Lady) as Moonface Martin; and Sheree North. This version was ...
In 1934, the average ticket price for a Broadway performance was between $2.50 and $4.50 (averaging $3.30,).Weekly gross data was not recorded, but certain figures help assess probable totals. Opening performances were held from November 21, 1934, to September 28, 1935, at the Alvin Theater in New York City, containing 1,362 seats. The show was the...
There are many popular cast recordings of the show, including: 1. 1935 Original London cast 2. 1936 Studio cast 3. 1950 Studio recording with Mary Martin 4. 1953 Studio cast 5. 1954 Television cast 6. 1956 Film cast 7. 1962 Off Broadway revival cast Hal Linden 8. 1969 London revival cast Marion Montgomery 9. 1987 Broadway revival cast with Patti Lu...
For more information about the title song and references to it in popular culture, see Anything Goes (Cole Porter song) 1. Title song was used for PBS' American Experience documentary of President Franklin D. Rooseveltbecause of the last verse of the song. 2. In the 1972 film What's Up, Doc?, the song "You're the Top" is sung for the opening and cl...
- Cole Porter
- Cole Porter
Anything Goes brings a chapter of seagoing history to life. It is also a tried and true Broadway hit, with great acting and memorable Cole Porter music.
- Bruce Chadwick
Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The original book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse, revised considerably by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. The story concerns madcap antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London.
Originally premiering Friday, May 13, 2022 on PBS, Broadway star Sutton Foster reprises her Tony Award-winning performance as Reno Sweeney and makes her West End debut in P.G. Wodehouse and Cole...
- Julia Corbett
- 30 sec
Synopsis. Reno Sweeney, an evangelist turned bar hostess, gets such a kick out of Billy Crocker that she boards a Europe-bound liner to dissuade him from pursuing Hope Harcourt. Although Billy dreams of Hope all through the night, Hope is determined to marry Sir Evelyn Oakleigh.
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This classic musical has been updated with a fantastic new book (2022), but ANYTHING GOES still features Cole Porter’s most joyful score, including “I Get A Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” and, of course, the show-stopping title song.
