Story and photos by Don Steen
The Heritage Hills Theater Department has been hard at work preparing for a Depression-era transatlantic cruise this month. Students will bring to life the classic musical, “Anything Goes,” in the high school auditorium beginning Saturday and Sunday, March 5 and 6 at 1:30 p.m. Performances will resume at 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, March 10 and 11. The last chance to catch the class in action will be Saturday, March 12, with show times at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Tickets for “Anything Goes” will be sold at the door. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students.
Since its debut at the Alvin Theatre in 1934, “Anything Goes” has been a fixture on theater stages across the United States and beyond. It was revived for Broadway in 2011 and in London last year. The musical has also been filmed three times, and elements of the play have secured a place in the common consciousness. Most will have heard at least snippets of its title number at least once.
Since being put out into the world by American composer Cole Porter for its namesake musical, several popular Jazz singers have put their spin on “In olden days a glimpse of stocking…” Frank Sinatra’s rendition became particularly popular. An astute ear may have heard another version of the familiar melody in the Shanghai club scene at the be- ginning of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” even if the vocals were in Mandarin. “Anything Goes” has also been featured in the popular video game series “Fallout.”
The musical itself begins in 1933’s New York City, with various personalities boarding the same cruise ship bound for England. Billy Crocker, personal assistant to a wall street broker, arrives to drop off his boss’s updated passport. While there, he bumps into Hope with whom he shared a romantic evening months earlier, and Billy has been searching for Hope ever since. Billy immediately decides, with the help of his friend, Reno the nightclub singer, he will pursue Hope by stowing away on the ship. Gangster Moon-face Martin, dressed as a preacher, enters with his friend, Bonnie. They hop aboard just as Bishop Dobson is mistakenly arrested, and the ship sets sail. Billy, who inadvertently helped Moon board, takes the ticket and passport of Moon’s accomplice, Snake Eyes.
Billy then spends the remainder of the trip sweeping Hope off her feet and away from Evelyn. Reno joins the escapade by agreeing to distract Sir Evelyn, but soon realizes that she actually likes the Englishman. Many mishaps continue as the two couples find their way to each other while Billy and Moon evade arrest. It all comes to a head with an inter- rupted wedding and stories from the past that make it impossible for the wedding to take place.
The Heritage Hills High School production of this time-honored classic is not to be missed, especially if you’ve never seen and heard the whole thing on stage.
The main cast will feature (in order of appearance) Michelle Dar- ling, Jay Little, Kyle Eubank, Braylon Caswell, Abi Wilson, Olivia Mick, Austin Hill, Wyatt Hanke, Max Eti- enne, Shelly Pate, Erin Schulthise, Mia Lawalin, Emma Klueh, Bailee Eckert, Rylee Koenig, Bridget Flan- nigan, Emilee Bender, Katie Moore, Derek Fortune, Sawyer Wahl, Ethan Kane, Sophia Greenwood, Hunter Stetter, Austin Hill, Luke Rickelman, JT Smallwood, Houston Lytton, Braxton Hays and Ethan Hill.
The chorus will include Addison Kline, Addison Vaal, Alaina Green- wood, Alaina Rust, Aleha Arias, Alicia Fortune, Allison Tretter, Angelica Rerecich, Aubrey Harpe, Autumn Fuquay, Braxton Hays, Breana Smith, Brooklyn Crowder, Brooklyn Mills, Dafne Sanchez, Elena Gonzalez, Elliot Fischer, Grace Keller, Hadley Lytton, Henry Kasinski, Isabella Curtsinger, Isabella Schulthise, Jace Dutlinger, Jalynn Wroe, Jaylan Warran, Jenna
Roos, Josie Tuggle, Kaden Wil- liams, Kailey Warran, Kale Smock, Kloe Jennings, Kortney Somerlott, Landen Cox, Landyn Taylor, Leann Akers, Leire Calvo, Lillian Decker, Maddie Anderson, Madison Mar- coux, Makayla Smith, Mason Wade, Noah Ludlow, Olivia Shernstrom, Paige Hart, Philea Fischer, Piper Carl, Riley Esarey, Sadie Peters, Sean Windell, Summer Beasley and Taylor Oxley.
Costuming so many students and setting the stage for a cruise out of time is no easy feat. The production crew for “Anything Goes” includes house managers Aliyah VanWinkle and Claire Cronin, backstage managers Christian Ludlow and Elizabeth Bennett, backstage crew Kaleb Jarvis and Ireland Mick, Jay Little on the soundboard, Benjamin Ludlow in charge of lights and Abbie Lawalin and Laura Staffeld preparing artwork. Brian Fortune and Casey Schulthise managed set design and construction with assistants Ryan Gasaway and Mike Kane.
