Hi 70 / Lo 58
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Hi 70 / Lo 58 |
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Volume 70, Issue 86,
Monday, February 7, 2005
Life & Arts 'Goes' good enough to stay afloat Performance works for a song and dance but offers little else By Jessica Shelton
Audiences have high expectations of renditions of Cole Porter musicals. If anyone saw De-Lovely, the recent biopic starring Kevin Klein and Ashley Judd, they would know why. Cole Porter's life was fraught with extreme scandal and heart-wrenching tragedy. Porter's life was defined by music. In Anything Goes, the music is spectacular. Not spectacular in the sense of being epic or grand, but catchy, and if you listen to it long enough, bitingly satirical. Theatre Under the Stars has employed some very good singers with remarkable stage presence. This was a smart move on their part because good casting is essential for a musical with stereotypical characters and a formulaic structure. The actors are brilliant, and it is obvious that an enormous amount of work was poured into the dancing.
Audiences who expect to see players spontaneously break out into song and dance need look no further than TUTS' production of Anything Goes. The production is laden with satirical commentary in the form of musical numbers. Photo courtesy of Theatre Under The Stars What they say about musicals is true: People do and will sporadically burst into song, sometimes two or three times in one scene. This can get quite repetitious. However, there is genius in repetition. Listening to the same ideas over and over again leads the audience to realize that they are being beaten over the head with satirical social commentary. Within the lyrics, the audience finds statements on celebrity worship replacing religion, sex and the provocative changes taking place in society. The show begins in New York with Billy Crocker (Matt Cavenaugh) chasing after his drunken boss, attempting to get him ready for a voyage to London. Reno Sweeney (Dee Hoty), Billy's sometime girlfriend, reveals that though Billy is a perfect gentleman, she still thinks the world of him and feels their relationship should remain in the friendship stage. Billy confesses he is in love with another girl, Hope Harcourt (Kaytha Coker), who just happens to be on the same ship that his boss was traveling on. Hope is engaged to a stuffy English lord, because her mother is pushing her into it, sort of a Titanic situation. Through a series of comical mishaps, Billy ends up on the ship under an assumed identity and passport that was meant for a notorious gangster. Since everyone is looking for Billy Crocker as a stowaway, he confesses to be the gangster, and the captain throws him a big party to celebrate his celebrity status. It isn't giving the ending away to say that Hope and Billy end up together, and Reno falls for the Englishman. It is a rather predictable double-wedding ending, after all. Despite the formula, it is a very fun show. If the audience is looking to be entertained for a semi-formal evening, then TUTS' Anything Goes will satisfy their theatrical needs. If instead they are on a quest to delve into historical and socio-political meaning within musical theater, they may just end up with a headache. Anything Goes Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby St. Playing: Through Feb. 13 Verdict: You will definitely get one of these songs stuck in your head Send comments to dcshobiz@mail.uh.edu |
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