BWW Flashback: Bon Voyage ANYTHING GOES; Plays Final Show on Broadway Today, July 8

Roundabout Theatre Company's Tony Award-winning production of Anything Goes plays its final show on Broadway today, July 8, at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. Directed and choreographed by 2011 Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall, the original limited engagement subscription run opened on April 7, 2011 and was scheduled to run for 19 weeks. It went on to be extended three times through July 8, 2012 and Anything Goes recently celebrated its 500th performance on Broadway. This acclaimed production marks the second longest Broadway run in Roundabout's history, following its beloved revival of Cabaret.

Anything Goes won three 2011 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Choreography (Kathleen Marshall); five Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Choreographer of a Musical (Kathleen Marshall); four Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding Revival of a Musical and Outstanding Choreographer of a Musical (Kathleen Marshall) and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Revival of a Musical.

The closing production stars Stephanie J. Block as "Reno Sweeney", who took over for original star Sutton Foster, and Tony and Academy Award winner Joel Grey as "Moonface Martin." The cast also features John McMartin as "Elisha Whitney", Julie Halston as "Evangeline Harcourt," Bill English as "Billy Crocker", Erin Mackey as "Hope Harcourt," Robert Petkoff as "Lord Evelyn Oakleigh," Jessica Stone as "Erma," Ed Dixon as "Captain," Robert Creighton as "Purser," Andrew Cao as"Luke,"and Raymond J. Lee as "John."Additional cast members include Lawrence Alexander, Leslie Becker, Brandon Bieber, Ward Billeison,Janine DiVita, Daniel J. Edwards, Justin Greer, Derek Hanson, Michelle Loucadoux, Brittany Marcin, Kaitlin Mesh, Shina Ann Morris, Kevin Munhall, Mary Michael Patterson, Brandon Rubendall, William Ryall, Jennifer Savelli, Kiira Schmidt, and Vanessa Sonon.

Roundabout Theatre Company's national tour of Anything Goes, starring Rachel York, begins in October 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio and will continue on to over 20 additional cities in 2012-2013. For tickets and more informtion on the tour, visit www.anythinggoesonbroadway.com.

And now, for a walk down the Anything Goes memory lane!

Broadway darling Sutton Foster opened in the production as Reno Sweeney - a role for which she won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical - on April 7, 2011 to raves.  

Click below to see highlights from Sutton's performance and CLICK HERE and HERE to see the star as Reno in photos! Forget how the ingenue transformed into the saucy broad? CLICK HERE to go behind the scenes of her first ever photo shoot as Reno. Also not to be missed is the original company's cast album recording session, and subsequent cast album celebration with Joel Grey, Colin Donnell and company at Barnes & Noble. 

Following Foster's final performance on March 11, 2012 to film ABC's Bunheads, the 'De-Lovely' Stephanie J. Block stepped into the famous tap shoes. BroadwayWorld was fortunate enough to be granted exclusive access to get the first footage of Block in the role, which premiered in Richard Ridge's in-depth sit down with the star HERE. We were also on hand for her first ever photo shoot in the sailor outfit with Broadway's famed photographer Joan Marcus, and were with her until the end when the show celebrated its 500th performance on Broadway on June 20, 2012.

For complete coverage of every memorable Anything Goes moment, CLICK HERE!

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus