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ARTS IN ACTION

Adelia Humme ’15

Senior English Major

 

“Easy to Love”: Anything Goes at Texas A&M

A packed auditorium welcomed the madcap comedy Anything Goes on the evening of Tuesday, October 21st.  MSC OPAS presented the musical structured around Cole Porter songs.  Goes tells the story of stockbroker Billy Crocker (Brian Krinsky), who steals aboard a passenger ship in pursuit of his paramour, the high-society debutante Hope Harcourt (Rachelle Rose Clark).  Hope is accompanied by her fiancĂ©, a delightfully odd English lord named Evelyn Oakleigh (Richard Lindenfelzer), and her overbearing mother Evangeline (Tracy Bidleman), who wants nothing more than to secure the family’s financial future through Hope’s marriage.  Adding to the zany confusion are nightlife entertainer Reno Sweeney and her troupe of “angels”, a fame-seeking mobster (Dennis Setteducati), and Billy’s boozy and nearsighted boss (Michael R. Douglass).  When Billy is forced to disguise himself as America’s most wanted hit man, chaos ensues, and three love stories become tangled.

The highlights of the evening were the megawatt stage presence and spectacular voice of Emma Stratton, in the leading role of Reno.  She closes out the first act with the title song and an elaborate dance number that rivals “The Continental,” of Fred Astaire and Ginger Roger fame.  Reno packs much of the musical’s wit and innuendo, but the mobster’s accomplice, Erma (Mychal Phillips), finally gets a chance to shine right before the finale, in the suggestively spunky “Buddie, Beware.”  While the audience likely went home with showstoppers “You’re the Top” and the tantalizingly blasphemous “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” buzzing in their heads, “The Gypsy in Me” also deserves a mention for Evelyn’s ridiculous antics and ungainly wooing of Reno.  Billy and Hope’s will-they-or-won’t-they love story is punctuated by sweet ballad “Easy to Love” and the catchy “It’s De-lovely,” arguably one of Porter’s most famous songs.   

Like many musicals, Goes owes its visual impact in part to outstanding choreography (in a variety of styles, including waltz and tap) and partly to its gorgeous costumes.  I was drooling over the swirling, glittery dresses that Reno and Hope sported throughout the show.  Since Goes is a tale about mistaken identities, creative use of costuming also advances the plot and is good for a laugh, as when Billy shaves a lapdog in order to disguise himself with muttonchops.

Prior to Tuesday, I knew nothing about this performance except for its nautical theme, but I was quickly won over by the charm, oozing sex appeal, and unabashed humor of Anything Goes.  It’s irreverent, it’s amusing, it’s “de-lovely!”

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