Do you feel the need to take a little vacation this fall? Though you might not be able to afford a full cruise, you can escape from reality for a few hours on a cruise with the cast of “Anything Goes” to dance, sing and laugh to its well known songs such as “You’re the Top,” “Let’s Misbehave,” “Blow, Gabriel Blow,” “Take me Back to Manhattan” and, of course, its title song “Anything Goes.”
Come and set sail on the S.S. America along with a group of crazy and fun characters in the Moorestown Theater Company’s 93rd theater production on Nov. 14–16 and 21–23. The 40-member cast includes residents from Moorestown and other South Jersey towns, including Rick Williams from Channel 6ABC as Moonface Marion. MTC’s fifth tap dancing, adult musical “Anything Goes” is performed with live actors and a live orchestra.
“It’s a fun show. People of all ages, kids, will understand it. There is nothing objectionable so it is fun for the whole family. There is nothing like a live show and a great tap dancing musical,” said Mark Morgan, producing artistic director and founding trustee of the MTC.
“Anything Goes” by Cole Porter is set in 1932 aboard the S.S. America, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean from America to England. On board the ship, there are criminals, chance meeting lovers, arranged marriages and mistaken identities all molded together in just one, live two and a half hour musical — which, of course, ends with a happy ending for all.
“‘Anything Goes,’ in my mind, is one of the perfect musicals ever made. There are well-known songs, great characters and it’s funny, laugh out loud. It is also pretty corny with mistaken identity, boy meets girl and boy gets girl. We had never done ‘Anything Goes’ in our 12 years of existence. It is a fun show and I don’t think enough theater companies do it or tap shows. And we thought here is a good chance to bring it back,” Morgan said.
Since its start, the Moorestown Theater Company has done five tap dancing shows, including this one. However, according to Morgan, this one should resonate with audiences today. On the cruise, the passengers are disappointed when there are no celebrities on the ship. That is until it is found out that one of the characters on the ship could possibly be “Snake Eyes” Johnson, Public Enemy One. And instead of the cruise passengers being scared or worried, they are delighted to have a celebrity on the ship and treat him along with his friends like them rather than a criminal.
“They start idolizing these criminals. It is interesting how it parallels with today’s social media and celebrities. People idolize these celebrities just for them being famous. It is crazy how back then they were almost able to predict how we are today,” Morgan said.
Starting in September, the cast and crew of the show had only two months to pull “Anything Goes” together. But with a lot of work, they were able to do so in a short amount of time. Of the 40-member cast, there are five pairs of husbands and wives and people from all walks of life, from teachers to lawyers. The youngest members of the cast are young adults still in college. The oldest cast member will soon be 77. Morgan, though normally in the chorus of the shows, is even in the cast this year as a lead, playing Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, an English gentleman who is part of one of the romantic pairings.
Morgan is usually behind the scenes, working with the cast, crew and score to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together. This, Morgan said, is one of his favorite parts of theater.
“I just love the process, getting people together, actors, directing teams, costume designers and set designers. I am lucky enough to move the pieces of the puzzle around and try make them fit,” Morgan said.
According to Morgan, audiences should expect to laugh and be awed by the talented tap dancers in the show. They should also be excited to recognize some of the cast members either from town, school or television. He also hopes people will be inspired to join or at least come again to another show by the MTC.
“I hope they’ll be glad they spent the time with us. Hopefully, they’ll be so into the show and characters they’ll forget their problems for two and a half hours. I’m sure they’ll leave the show humming one of its catchy songs,” Morgan said.
As of now, the MTC does not have a facility of its own. Instead, “Anything Goes” will be performed at Moorestown Upper Elementary School located at 325 Borton Landing Road. Tickets are on sale for $15 for regular admission and $11 for veterans for Nov. 14, 15, 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.moorestowntheatercompany.org or at the door 60 minutes prior to curtain time.
MTC’s next shows are in December, including the East Coast premiere of “Elf Jr.” which Morgan said was quite an honor for them to be chosen as the pilot production. For more information on future shows and other questions, call the MTC at (856) 778–8357.
