“Anything Goes" at the Timber Lake Playhouse -- June 27 through July 7.
Thursday, June 27, through Sunday, July 7
Timber Lake Playhouse, 8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll IL
One of the most popular and beloved musicals in theatre history is scheduled to set sail at Mt. Carroll's Timber Lake Playhouse, with the romantic and hilarious Cole Porter sensation Anything Goes enjoying a June 27 through July 7 run, and treating audiences to such iconic show tunes as "You're the Top," "All Through the Night," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and the unforgettable title number.
As Anything Goes begins, the S. S. American is sailing between New York and England with a comically colorful assemblage of passengers: Reno Sweeney, a popular nightclub singer and former evangelist; her longtime pal Billy Crocker, a lovelorn Wall Street broker who has come aboard to try to win the favor of his beloved Hope Harcourt (who is engaged to another passenger, Sir Evelyn Oakleigh); and a second-rate con man named Moonface Martin, a.k.a. “Public Enemy #13.” Song, dance, and farcical antics ensue as Reno and Moonface try to help Billy win the love of his life, and the Cole Porter classics gracing this musical extravaganza also include "It's De-Lovely," "Friendship," "Easy to Love," “Let's Misbehave,” "Buddie, Beware," and the show-stopper "Blow, Gabriel, Blow."
The official Broadway debut of Anything Goes took place 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. For the 1987 Broadway revival, which starred Patti LuPone,John Weidman and Timothy Crouse updated the book and re-ordered the musical numbers, using Cole Porter songs from the composer's other shows. This revival was rescored for a 16-piece swing band playing on stage, in the style of early Benny Goodman, and opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, in Lincoln Center, on October 19, 1987. Running for 784 performances, the revival was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, and won for Best Revival of a Musical, Best Featured Actor (Bill McCutcheon), and Best Choreography. Another Broadway revival of Anything Goes debuted in 2011, and went on to earn Tonys for Best Musical Revival, Choreography, and, for headliner Sutton Foster, Best Actress in a Musical.
Timber Lake's production of Anything Goes is directed by TLP Artistic Director Tommy Ranieri, who also helmed last season’s hit 9 to 5: The Musical. He is joined on the creative team by music director Matthew W. Surico; choreographer Lauren Kadel; scenic designer and TLP alum Spencer Donovan; costume designer Thomas J.C. Gluodenis; and lighting designer Erik Herskowitz. Props are designed by Gabe Seplow and sound design is by Rory Shea. Kyle Simkins returns to TLP as Technical Director, Julia Grace Kelley is Production Manager, and Meg Rosenberg will assume the role of Production Stage Manager.
Ranieri's Anything Goes cast features Heather Parcells as Reno Sweeney; Sitare Sadeghi as Hope Harcourt; Nancy Teerlinck as Mrs. Harcourt; Adam Brett as Billy Crocker; Mark Woodard as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh; Fred Frabota as Eli Whitney; Gabriela Hernandez as Erma; and Scott Cote as Moonface Martin. Also in the cast are additional TLP Resident Company members: Caroline Lynch Desmarais; Morgan Milone; Malaika Wanjiku; Anya Katherine Jones; Gabe Seplow; Emma Theriot; Kyle Ahmeer Bethea; Sawyer Coffin; Jack Catena; Joshua Credle; Matthew Hommel; and Lucas Diego Marinetto.
Anything Goes will be performed at the Mt. Carroll theatre from June 27 through July 7, with scheduled performances at 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is $25-35 and more information and tickets are available by calling (815)244-2035 and visiting TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
