THEATRE REVIEW: "Anything Goes" at Moonlight Stage Productions

“Anything Goes” is light, fluffy fun:

Its high jinks on the high seas in Moonlight’s sleek, well-staged revival

By Donnie Matsuda

“Times have changed…” sings former evangelist turned slinky nightclub singer Reno Sweeney at the top of the musical’s oh-so-famous title number.  

And while truer words have never been spoken - or in this case, sung - there is one thing that will never change: the Cole Porter confection known as Anything Goes will continue to entertain and delight audiences no matter what circumstances surround its revival (and this popular musical has been revived *a lot* since it premiered on Broadway in 1934, including its most recent revival on the Great White Way in 2011 with Sutton Foster and its upcoming 2012 U.S. national tour starring Rachel York).  In fact, Anything Goes was tied with “Guys and Dolls” as the tenth most frequently produced musical in U.S. high schools in 2007 and it truly is a show that America gets a kick out of time and time again.

Jeffrey Scott Parsons and Courtney Fero in Moonlight's "Anything Goes."  Photo by Ken Jacques.

The musical’s everlasting appeal has a lot to do with it’s de-licious, de-lectable, and oh so de-lovely score which bounces through such bright, toe-tapping tunes as “You’re the Top,” “Friendship,” “Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and the show-stopping title number, “Anything Goes.”  And while its mostly plot-less book and ridiculous cast of roustabout characters add absolutely nothing to its charm, in fact they serve more as leaden anchors that weigh down an otherwise forward-moving boatload of Cole Porter standards, there is something to be admired about a musical that gets audiences smiling and humming its tunes at the mere mention of the show’s title.

The Company of "Anything Goes."  Photo by Ken Jacques.

Moonlight’s current revival, which follows the 1987 revival libretto to a tee, is buoyed by some sparkling performances and some truly lovely singing.  At the helm of it all is a dazzling and delightful Tracy Lore as Reno Sweeney.  Lore has the bold and brassy voice that is required for the role (her voice is a sweeter, softer version of the late, great Ethel Merman) and she’s also pretty hot stuff – or is it “hot pants”? – in the steps department, too, frequently kicking up her heels and leading the tap-tastic ensemble cast in many of the show’s splashy musical numbers.  As her young love interest, Wall Street banker Billy Crocker, Jeffrey Scott Parsons simply shines.  He’s got the dashing good looks, soaring tenor voice, and a smooth soft shoe that make him Moonlight’s “go-to” guy whenever they need a leading man for their large and lavish tap-dance musicals (he was recently seen here as Bobby Child in “Crazy for You” and as Billy Lawlor in “42nd Street”).  And as his love interest, the prim Hope Harcourt, Courtney Fero is a satisfying study in proper manners and understated charm.

Tracy Lore and Company.  Photo by Ken Jacques.

The large supporting cast of inane characters provides plenty of fodder for ace comic acting.  In particular, Barry Pearl is “tops” when it comes to the silly shenanigans of Moonface Martin, the second-rate gangster posing as a minister, and Hannah Balagot is deliciously droll as his partner in crime, the nasal-voiced, sailor-and-scene-stealing moll, Erma.  Also amusing are Dagmar Krause Fields as stuffy and staunch socialite Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt, Nick Tubbs as the bumbling Brit who can’t quite get the hang of American idioms, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, and Joel W. Gossett as proud Yale man and Wall Street tycoon Elisha J. Whitney.

Hannah Balagot and Company.  Photo by Ken Jacques.

Director and choreographer Jon Engstrom knows how to stage these big and bold tap-heavy musicals (he recently helmed Moonlight’s splashy staging of “42nd Street”) so that they dazzle the eye and energize the spirit of everyone watching.  While his smart direction and snappy choreography take a long time to gel with the choppy writing and the campy character of the piece, once all the moving parts kick into gear by the showy Act 1 finale, it is full steam ahead with a tight and breezy Act 2.  And here, he’s working with a top-notch creative team, including expert musical director Justin Gray, veteran conductor Ken Gammie, and master set designer N. Dixon Fish (whose three-tiered, custom-designed ocean liner set is truly a glorious sight to behold).

The Company of "Anything Goes."  Photo by Ken Jacques.

Without a doubt, the time is right for Moonlight to bring back a much revered relic of the musical theatre cannon.  And while among the elite class of show-stopping tap-dancing musicals, Anything Goes may not be “the top,” it certainly is a show that audiences of all ages will appreciate as a de-lovely showcase of Cole Porter’s most memorable and tuneful hits.           

     

Things to know before you go: Anything Goes plays at Moonlight Stage Production’s Amphitheatre through September 8, 2012.  Running time is 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.  Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 8pm.  Tickets are $15-$50.  For more information or to purchase tickets, call (760) 724-2110 or visit www.moonlightstage.com.

THEATRE REVIEW: "Stepping Out" at the Welk

The Welk Theatre Looses Its Footing with Lithe Yet Lackluster “Stepping Out”

By Donnie Matsuda

The Cast of "Stepping Out."  Photo courtesy of the Welk.

In 1974, Michael Bennett conducted a series of taped workshop sessions with a handful of Broadway dancers as they opened up about their personal lives, their fears and hopes for the future, and their passion for dance.  What emerged was the blockbuster Broadway musical A Chorus Line, which was an unprecedented hit at the time, receiving 12 Tony Award nominations in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  It went on to become one of the longest-running productions in Broadway history and has become nearly synonymous with the word “dance” in America.

Ten years later, British television writer Richard Harris visited his wife’s modern dance class in a dingy North London church basement and happened upon a beginning tap dance class across the hall.  There, he saw a gaggle of goosy middle aged gals having fun and indulging their delusional dreams of one day being decent dancers.  What emerged was the West End play Stepping Out, which ran for three years in London (from 1984-1987) before transferring to Broadway for a short-lived three-month engagement.  It has since fallen into obscurity as a play and is rarely (if ever) produced.  However, the Welk Theatre in Escondido has decided to dust off this old-fashioned play and has done the very best they can to breathe some life into its broad and mostly boring cast of characters.  Their current revival is a valiant effort with some stalwart actors and they do an incredibly impressive job of trying to salvage this lackluster play from stepping out and stepping off into la-la land.  

Tracy Reynolds as Vera and Megan Carmitchel as Sylvia in the Welk's "Stepping Out."  Photo courtesy of the Welk.

Without a doubt, the major culprit here is the humdrum writing and shallow characterizations of Richard Harris’s script.  For most of the play’s two hours and fifteen minutes, we are stuck listening to the agonizingly asinine quibbles of the eight students – seven middle aged women and one old man – as they enroll in their first-ever tap dance class taught by oh-so-patient dance teacher Mavis (a lithe Brenna Fleeman).  There’s Vera (a perfect Tracy Reynolds) who is “meddlesome,” Sylvia (a vulgar, gum-chewing Megan Carmitchel) who is “not in dance shape,” Andy (an appropriately meek Deidra Mohr) who is “shy,” and Dorothy (an anxious Jenny Powell) who is “uncoordinated.”  The rest of the cast is less clearly characterized and includes laid back Geoffrey (Steve Owsley), native Trinidadian Rose (Crystal Burden with a credible West Indies accent), good-natured Lynne (Lauren King), confident Maxine (April Henry), and crotchety piano player Mrs. Frazer (Susan Boland).

As the play captures the idle chitchat of these ladies as they assemble for each beginning tap class, we are treated to nothing more than boring back-and-forth banter and a handful of unfunny, juvenile wisecracks.  The conversations might be more entertaining if they focused on each character’s hopes and fears for the future or if the characters involved were more fleshed out with more clearly defined – and far more compelling – character arcs.  Instead, we are left with silly chatter and intentionally bad tap dance sequences (in mock rehearsals) that end up being less entertaining and more embarrassing than anything else.   

Crystal Burden (front) as Rose surrounded by the cast of "Stepping Out."  Photo courtesy of the Welk.

      

The one redeeming element comes in the play’s final five minutes, as these middle aged klutzes are magically transformed into polished, high stepping hoofers as they perform the number they have been practicing in their dance class all year.  Yes, they are still amateur dancers, and yes, their number is as hokey and as kitschy as it gets, but it is here that they manage to engage and entertain the audience with their bright smiles and fun, cleanly executed tap steps (thanks to veteran tap master Jon Engstrom who both directs and choreographs this Welk production with style and flair).  

While Stepping Out lacks most of the amazing qualities that made A Chorus Line a mega-musical success, it does introduce its audience to the world of middle aged British women who have the courage to step out of their busy day-to-day lives – as mothers, wives, and working women - and indulge their fantasies of one day becoming tap stars. 

Whether it’s a premise worthy of stage time (or a full fledged revival at the Welk), well that’s another story entirely.

Things to know before you go: Stepping Out plays at the Welk Theatre through May 20th, 2012.  Running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with one 15 minute intermission.  Performances are Wednesdays at 1pm, Thursdays at 1pm and 8pm, Saturdays at 1pm and Sundays at 6:30pm.  For more information or to purchase tickets, call (888) 802-7469 or visit www.welktheatresandiego.com.