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.

AN INTERVIEW WITH HUNTER FOSTER AS "HANDS ON A HARDBODY" PREMIERES AT LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

Hunter Foster Gets His “Hands” on a New Role in a New World Premiere Musical

By Donnie Matsuda

Hunter Foster.  Photo courtesy of BroadwayWorld.

North Carolina native Hunter Foster first broke onto the Broadway scene as an understudy in Les Misérables.  He went on to play Roger in the 1994 revival of Grease and Bickle in the original Broadway cast of Footloose in 1998.  After touring nationally as Rum Tum Tugger in Cats and performing the role of Martin Guerre in the Cameron Makintosh production of Martin Guerre, Foster landed his breakthrough role as Bobby Strong in Urinetown, the irascible tongue-in-cheek musical comedy that opened on Broadway in 2001.  The show won Tony Awards for best book, best original score and best direction of a musical and Foster himself received nominations for an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Lucille Lortel Award.  Since then, Foster has tackled many more roles in the musical theatre canon, including Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors (for which he received his first Tony Award nomination), Leo Bloom in The Producers, Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Sam Phillips in Million Dollar Quartet.  

And recently, Hunter Foster has taken to San Diego and the La Jolla Playhouse stage.  Last year, he originated the role of Richard Hoover in the Playhouse’s world premiere of Little Miss Sunshine (which had its sights set for Broadway this season, but has since been put on hold).  Now, he gets his hands on the role of Benny Perkins in the Playhouse’s current world premiere musical, Hands on A Hardbody, which is currently playing at the Mandell Weiss Theatre through June 17.  What follows is my pre-premiere interview with Foster as we chatted about his involvement in the development of Hands on A Hardbody, his thoughts about the show’s score and mass appeal, and his own musical writing endeavors. 

DONNIE: We last saw you in San Diego playing Richard Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine.  What have you been up to since then?

HUNTER: Well, I'm also a writer and two musicals that I wrote premiered last year right after Little Miss Sunshine.  The Hollow, based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, opened at the Signature theatre in Arlington, VA last September and Clyde and Bonnie: A Folktale opened at the Aurora Theatre in Atlanta in March.  In between working on those shows, I went back to acting and did an Off-Broadway play at The New Group called Burning.

DONNIE: How did you get involved with Hardbody?  Were you a part of the musical though its many readings and workshops or did you just join for its La Jolla staging?

HUNTER: I was not involved with any of the workshops or readings, but in November, 2010, when we were doing a 1-week reading of Little Miss Sunshine before we came to La Jolla, Hands on A Hardbody was also doing a 1-week reading right across the hall from us.  I kept hearing really great things about it, so when I got a chance to be a part of it, I was thrilled. 

Keith Carradine, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Allison Case, Jarrod Emick, and Hunter Foster in rehearsals for "Hands on A Hardbody" at La Jolla Playhouse.  Photo by Terri Rippee.

DONNIE: How would you describe the energy and general spirit during rehearsals for Hardbody?  Is the approach to this musical different than what you experienced during Little Miss Sunshine?

HUNTER: Every musical process is different, and this is no exception.  Little Miss Sunshine was more of a traditional musical, and Hardbody is more rock and roll, and very unorthodox structurally -- which I think is great.  I think it will surprise people because it's not something they would have seen before.  We've definitely had a lot of fun during the Hardbody process and it's been exhausting.  I think we calculated that we've been on our feet around the truck for more hours than the original contestants were in the documentary.

DONNIE: Tell me more about Benny Perkins, the character you play in Hardbody.  Do you relate to him personally on any level?  And do you have the opportunity to contribute to his growth and evolution as a character since this is a musical in development?

HUNTER: I'm from the South.  I grew up in Georgia so I knew a lot of guys like Benny, so I draw a lot on that.  What I've loved about this process has been the creative input that's allowed us to make the characters come alive in a way that is not a caricature of what's in the documentary.

(L-R) Jay Armstrong Johnson, Allison Case, and Hunter Foster in "Hardbody."  Photo by Kevin Berne.

DONNIE: How would you describe the Hardbody score crafted by the eclectic team of Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green?

HUNTER: They are really quite a pair.  Amanda has really found the heart and soul of these characters with her lyrics, and nothing that we sing ever seems false.  Trey is just a musical genius.  The way he hears things and crafts things musically is really something to see.  The score is "real" rock and roll and that's so rare to hear in musicals these days. 

DONNIE: What do you think audiences will like most about the show?  Does it have a certain mass appeal or do you think it caters more to a specific niche?

HUNTER: I think it's a show that relates to the heartland of America, and to working class people that seem to get ignored by our government and Hollywood.  And whether you live in New York or California, I think we all know someone or have family that are blue collar, working class people. 

(L-R) Jay Armstrong Johnson, Keala Settle, Hunter Foster, and Keith Carradine in "Hardbody."  Photo by Kevin Berne.

DONNIE: You seem to wear many hats in the theatre world.  Not only have you risen through the ranks to become a Tony-nominated Broadway actor, but you’ve also taken to writing musicals yourself.  Tell me more about your latest effort, Clyde ‘n Bonnie: A Folktale.

HUNTER: We recently premiered it at the Aurora Theatre in Atlanta, and it went great down there.  The audiences really seemed to love it and I was so proud of that production.  Probably one of my favorite experiences.  So, we are hoping to do it again … somewhere.  

DONNIE: And I do have to ask, what is lil’ sis Sutton up to these days – is she still tapping up a storm in Anything Goes on Broadway?  And how about your wife, Jennifer Cody?

HUNTER: Sutton is currently in LA filming a new TV show called “Bunheads” for ABC Family.  I am so proud of her.  It should start airing in June.  My wife, Jen, is doing a new Charles Busch play in New York called “Judith of Bethulia.”  They both should be here for opening!   

Hunter and Sutton Foster.  Photo by Jenny Anderson.

You can preview Hardbody’s “real rock and roll” score here:

And, for more information about Hands on A Hardbody and La Jolla Playhouse visit: http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/

INTERVIEW WITH CLAUDIA GOMEZ VORCE, CHOREOGRAPHER OF J COMPANY'S "THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE"

Everything Today Is Thoroughly … Claudia

An interview featuring choreographer Claudia Gomez Vorce as “Thoroughly Modern Millie” taps into San Diego

By Donnie Matsuda

The 1920’s are alive and kicking again in La Jolla, largely thanks to the tireless tap-savvy work of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” choreographer Claudia Gomez Vorce.

Coming from a lineage of professional dancers beginning with Mexican Ballet Folkloriko, Claudia teaches tap and jazz and has performed in nightclubs and theatres throughout New York and Southern California. She has appeared in national tap events including “Tap Extravaganza/Flow Bert Awards” with Mable Lee, has been mentioned in “Dance Magazine,” and has performed at the “Big Easy Music Awards” in New Orleans. Claudia is currently the tap dance percussionist in “Cajeta” and she is the producer and director of “Groove On Tap!” “Olio, The Show,” and “The Cherries Jubilee” – all by the organization Olio Productions, Inc., a non-profit dedicated to the preservation, education, and presentation of jazz music and its American vernacular dances.

And now, she is bringing back the Charleston to J Company’s youth production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” which opens this weekend at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus. “Millie” is the second show of J Company’s 19^th Season, which honors Broadway musicals that were born out of our very own La Jolla Playhouse. (The company previously produced “The Who’s Tommy” in December and plans to mount “Xanadu: The Musical” in May).

While awash in tap dance rehearsals, Claudia found time to do this brief interview and spoke to me about her dance history, her current dance projects, and what inspired her splashy, period choreography for “Millie.”

Claudia Gomez Vorce looking 1920's dapper. Photo courtesy of Claudia Gomez Vorce.

Donnie: When did you start dancing?

I started dancing taking Mexican Ballet Folkloriko dance class around the age of 3 or 4. Both my Grandmother and mother were professional dancers in Mexico so I was pretty much born loving dance. My ballet, tap and jazz training began at age 7 with the city of San Diego park and recreation program. I danced with them through my early teens. Now tap dance is a very important part of my life.

Donnie: Do you still dance and perform or are you solely focused on choreographing these days?

I tap dance on a regular basis with a few bands in and out of town. I also choreograph for my production the Cherries Jubilee www.cherriesjubileesd.com and for other productions and events.

Donnie: How did you get involved with the J Company? How is working there different from other shows/companies you’ve worked for?

I LOVE working with J Company. These children are amazing and I enjoy working with every one of them. I was introduced to J Company by my friend Emily Calabrese. She had seen my work and asked if I would like to teach dance at the JCC.

Sutton Foster and Company in the world premiere of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" at La Jolla Playhouse in 2000. Photo courtesy La Jolla Playhouse.

Donnie: “Millie” made such a splash in 2002 as a new, exciting take on an old 1920’s story. Why revive it now in 2012, nearly ten years later?

It's a great musical that was born in San Diego. I don't think the 1920's will ever get old - especially the music and dancing! Everyone knows what the Charleston is. I also know that the audience will get a kick out of watching a seven year old break into "vintage" dance.

Donnie: How did you go about approaching the choreography for this show? Will you be getting any inspiration from Rob Ashford’s Tony Award-winning choreography?

I was definitely inspired by both the movie and the original choreography. I was also inspired by jazz, tap dancer, and entertainer Mable Lee, and the Apollo Theatre and Cotton Club dancers of the Harlem Renaissance.

Donnie: This is a children’s production with a very young cast…what are the age ranges of your actors? And how does your rehearsal schedule work?

We have been working between 6 to 10 hours a week Sunday through Thursday. We have about 84 children in the cast with ages ranging from 8-17. They are uniquely professional and have worked very hard.

Donnie: Are you making any changes to the show to keep it fresh and exciting?

It definitely has vintage dance moves. The young actors, singers, and dancers are making it fresh and exciting. Watching 84 children do the Charleston at the same time is quite spectacular. It feels great to pass on traditional dance forms. They actually think it's cool!!!!

Sutton Foster performs "Gimme, Gimme" in the world premiere of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" at La Jolla Playhouse. Photo courtesy of La Jolla Playhouse.

Donnie: Any exciting projects lined up after “Millie” closes?

I am always working on something exciting. At the moment, I run a 501(c)3 non-profit organization called Olio Productions. It is dedicated to the preservation, presentation, and education of traditional American Jazz music and dance. I started a couple of vaudeville style productions in town called Olio the Show and The Cherries Jubilee www.cherriesjubileesd.com which I produced, direct and choreograph. The Cherries Jubilee has a show about once a month. I also work as the tap dance percussionist with incredibly talented musicians in Besos de Coco https://www.facebook.com/besosdecoco?sk=info and Cajeta http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jan/30/tap-gilbert-and-lorraine-castellanos-cajeta/. I also teach and create events and workshops on a regular basis.

To find out more information about J Company and their current production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” visit: http://www.sdcjc.org/jc/