Rachel York leads the national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's Anything Goes (which features some faces familiar to fans of Tennessee theater, including Chuck Wagner, Jeremy Benton and Kristopher Thompson-Bolden), the new Broadway revival of Cole Porter's timeless classic musical theatre masterpiece that lays anchor at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall October 23-28.
Winner of the 2011 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, Roundabout Theatre Company's Anything Goes sails direct from Broadway under the direction of Kathleen Marshall, who won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Choreography. The New York Times called Anything Goes "a zesty new revival with knockout numbers and white-hot dancing" while the Associated Press exclaimed that it's "so delightful, so delicious, so de-lovely!"
York (last seen at TPAC in the national tour of 101 Dalmatians the Musical) stars as Reno Sweeney, with Fred Applegate as Moonface Martin. Principals include Erich Bergen as Billy Crocker, Jeff Brooks as Purser, Joyce Chittick as Erma, Alex Finke as Hope Harcourt, Dennis Kelly as Elisha Whitney, Vincent Rodriguez III as Luke, Marcus Shane as John, Sandra Shipley as Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt, Edward Staudenmayer as Sir Evelyn Oakleigh and Nashville native Chuck Wagner (who most recently appeared in Nashville as Horace Vandergelder in Studio Tenn's Hello, Dolly!) as the Captain.
The ensemble includes Springfield, Tennessee native Jeremy Benton (who recently directed and choreographed Backwards in High Heels: The Ginger Musical at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse), Jacqueline Burtney, Jan Leigh Herndon, Kristie Kerwin, Gary Lindemann, Dionna Thomas Littleton, Michael Milton, Ashley Peacock, Bobby Pestka, Courtney Rottenberger, Vanessa Sonon, Ryan Steer, Kristopher Thompson-Bolden (who made his Nashville stage debut this summer as part of the ensemble of The Nutty Professor), Aaron Umsted, Mackenzie Warren, Sean Watkins, Audrey Cardwell, Alexandra Matteo, Sean McKnight and Tony Neidenbach.
Roundabout Theatre Company's Anything Goes features music and lyrics by Cole Porter; original book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse; and new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. The creative team includes music direction by Jay Alger with additional orchestrations by Bill Elliot, original scenic design by Derek McLane, costumes by Martin Pakledinaz, lighting design by Howell Binkley and sound design by Brian Ronan.
The show's roundup of nostalgic hits by Cole Porter include "You're the Top," "Friendship," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "It's De-Lovely," "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" and "Anything Goes."
Anything Goes is the 1934 musical comedy about the lovers, liars and clowns on a transatlantic crossing: When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love…proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, an exotic disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail.
Tickets are on sale now at www.tpac.org, by phone at (615) 782-4040, and at the TPAC Box Office, 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville. For groups of 10 or more, call (615) 782-4060.
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