Theatre Tuscaloosa’s performance of “Anything Goes” opened on Thursday and will continue through Aug 4 in partnership with Shelton State Community College.
With a title like “Anything Goes,” most audience members might not know what they are getting themselves into. Set in the 1930s, the musical takes place on a boat where celebrities and famous thieves cross paths in a love story. The main characters of this musical are Reno Sweeney, a nightclub singer; Billy Crocker, a businessman who is in love with Hope; Hope Harcourt, a beautiful heiress; Moonface Martin, a gangster who befriends Billy; and Erma, a playful gangster who is friends with Moonface.
Ally Skelton’s character, Hope, added an angelic presence on stage with her light and beautiful voice. Her connection with Benjamin Cornelius, who played Billy, made the love scenes heartwarming and adorable to watch. Character connections truly helped with the believability of each scene and a particularly interesting and funny friendship on stage was between Reno and Billy.
Lisa Waldrop Shattuck, who played Reno Sweeney, has a voice that was made and trained for a live audience, commanding the audience and her fellow actors. She is a true mature talent that elevated every scene she was in. From her opening song to the finale, Shattuck had the audience leaning forward in their chairs waiting to see how far she could push her voice or what dance moves she was about to break into.
The story, while at times difficult to follow for its name changes for characters and fast-paced scenes, was humorous. Characters such as the ship’s purser, played by Joshua Eubanks, and Moonface, played by Gary Wise, helped with the comedy of the musical by breaking the fourth wall and adding distinctive voice changes to the characters.
Wise might not have had the best dance moves or voice out of everyone onstage, but what he lacked in those regards, he made up for with his comedic timing and improvisation. He also had some of the best fourth wall-breaking scenes of the night in a duet with Shattuck.
The huge group numbers, including “Anything Goes” and “Blow, Gabriel, Blow,” could make just about anyone want to get up on stage and join in. The live band, perhaps overlooked because of the powerhouses on stage, deserves the utmost credit. The orchestra, composed of nine members, stayed on stage for the entire play and did a fantastic job of immersing the audience in each scene. Their performance throughout the musical helped raise those group numbers to a new level of excitement.
Sarah Kathryn Ethridge, who played Erma, could convince any director to let her anchor a musical just with her voice and acting skills alone. A true favorite of the night was her big number “Buddie, Beware,” and Ethridge had an energetic relationship with Wise and Cornelius in scenes that she described as “slapstick comedy” that were truly captivating.
“You become a really close-knit group by the end of it. Then you just get on the stage and you’re just playing with your friends in front of a whole bunch of people that you have never seen before,” Ethridge said of performing in the play. “It’s a lot of fun, it’s hard work, but it’s very rewarding.”
The company of “Anything Goes” included performers in high school and beyond their college years, proving that you are never too young or old to get up on stage and perform your heart out.
“Theater will change your life,” Skelton said. “A lot of people think that’s cheesy, but theater will connect with you in a way that you don’t expect it to.”
