Anything Goes (Stage Production)
Louise Gold took over the starring role of Reno
Sweeney, at The Prince Edward Theatre, from Monday 2 July 1990 to Saturday 25
August 1990 (when the show closed). She took over from Elaine Paige, who had opened
in the show a year previously.
This show perhaps, marked the moment when, if it had
not already been noticed before, Louise Gold became truly known for her
Merman-like singing abilities.
Cast
Billy Crocker – John Barrowman
Moonface Martin – Matt Zimmerman
Louie – Philip Griffiths
Elisha Whitney – Gordon Sterne
Fred – Nigel Waugh
Young Girl – Anita Pashley
Sailor – Anthony Lyn
Captain – David Bacon
Purser – Kevin A. J. Ranson
Purity (one of
Chastity (one of
Charity (one of
Virtue (one of
Minister – Brian Ellis
Luke – Chowee Leow
John - John Shin
Hope Harcourt – Ashleigh Sendin
Mrs Evangeline Harcourt – Ursula Smith
Lord Evelyn Oakleigh –Nigel Williams
Erna – Danielle Carson
Mrs Wentworth Frick – Cynthia Morey
Shanty Quartet – Philip Griffiths, Patrick Long, Anthony
Lyn, & Nigel Waugh
Ships Crew, Passengers, Reporters, Photographers,
and, G-Men:
Nicky Andrews, Pamela Bennet,
Nicola Dewdney, Sarah Drummond, Wayne Fowkes,
Philip Griffiths, Mark Inscoe, Adam
Jones, Lorraine Lacey, Patrick Long,
Anthony Lyn, Duncan A. MacVicar, Jason
Di Mascio, Stuart McLeod, Cynthia Morey,
Glen Munroe, Anita Pashley, Guy Polland, Denise Ranger, Nils
Seibaek, Nigel Waugh.
Understudies
Reno
Sweeney - ?
Billy Crocker – Mark Inscoe
Elisha Whitney – Brian Ellis
Evangeline Hardcourt
– Cynthia Morey
Lord Evelyn Oakleigh – Anthony
Lyn
Erma - Anita Pashley
Hope Hardcourt
– Lorraine Lacey,
Nicola Dewdney
Swings – Madline Loftin, and, Wayne Fowkes
Production Team
Music & Lyrics – Cole Porter
Original Production – 21 November 1934, The
Original (unused) Book by – P.G.Wodehouse
& Guy Bolton
Original (actual) Book by – Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
New Book by – Timothy Crouse & John Weidman
Produced by – Richard Fox Ltd, Anchorage Productions Ltd & Joan
& Joe Cullman
Sets and Costumes by – Tony Walton
Lighting by – Paul Gallo
Musical Director – Paul McGuire
Orchestrations – Michael Gibson
Dance Arrangements – Tom Fay
Sound by – Tony Meola for AUTOGRPAH
Assistant to the Choreographer – Kirk Peterson
Poster Art by – James McMullian
Choreographed by – Michael Smuin
Directed by – Jerry Zaks
Company Manager – Peter Roper
Stage Manager – Camilla Clutterbuck
Deputy Stage Manager – Lorna McLean
Assistant Stage Managers – Mike Holsten, Simon Wood, and, Judith Cound
Wardrobe Supervisor – Joy Bondini
Sound Operator – Mandy Hare
Dance Captain – Madeline Loftin
The Orchestra
Conductor – Paul
Maguire
Trumpets –
Jim Wilson, Eddie Blair, and, Trevor Barber
Trombones
– Vince Sullivan, Steve Wilkes, and, Phil Brown
Saxophones
– Dennis Walton, Geoff Young, John Francis, and, Martin
Frith
Drums – Stan
Bourke
Bass – Don
Richardson
Guitar – Pete
Walton
Piano – Bunny
Thompson
Percussion
– Bob Campion
Violin – Helen
Cooper
Deps
Dep Conductor – Bunny Thompson
Dep Pianist – Kate Young
Orchestra Management – Porter Young
Management
Louise Gold and Matt Zimmerman
went on to reprise their roles of Reno and Moon on studio cast recording of Anything Goes - Website
Recommended Album on JAY/TER’s Music
Theatre Hour label. Philip Griffiths also sang on this recording,
which uses the same score, by Michael Gibson, as this production, and is
conducted by John Owen Edwards, who had been conductor on this
production when it first opened in 1989.
The authorship of the Book/Script for Anything
Goes requires a little explanation. The show was originally called Hard
To Get, starred Ethel Merman, William Gaxton
and Victor Moore, and had a book by P.G.Wodehouse
and Guy Bolton whose plot revolved around a sinking ship. Unfortunately
there was nothing remotely funny about the plot, and just before the show was
due to open there was a bad shipwreck, the
P.G Wodehouse later
contributed addition lyrics for the original
"When Grandmamma whose age is
eighty
In nightclubs are getting maty
With gigolo's
Anything Goes"
and
"When Mother's pack and leave
poor Father
Because they decide they'd rather
Be tennis pro's.
Anything goes."
found their way into
both this production of the show, and later onto the JAY/TER studio cast album Anything Goes (Recording). - Website
Recommended Album
The complete score from the show as it would have
appeared on opening night, in 1934, was recorded in 1989 by John McGlinn conducting the LSO, with Kim Criswell
as Reno Sweeney. It also featured: Chris Groendel
as Billy Crocker, Jack Gilford as Moon, and Frederica Von Stade as Hope Harcourt.
Howard Lindsay and Russel
Crouse went on author the books and scripts for two more stage shows
starring the mighty Ethel Merman, namely, Red
Hot & Blue, and Call Me Madam.
The first
Anything Goes was filmed in 1936, with an
altered book, and much altered score, retaining only a few songs, starring Bing
Crosby as Billy Crocker. However, it did retain one crucial element of the
stage show, namely Ethel Merman as Reno Sweeney. Ms Merman also starred in a 1950’s Television
version, which had Frank Sinatra as Billy Crocker and Bert Lahr as
Moon. This version retained rather more of the original score, and the
interpolated additional songs were from other shows in the Merman/Porter
quintet
In 1988, Jerry Zaks
launched a big revival of Anything Goes on Broadway, with Patti
Lupone in the central role of Reno Sweeney, and a
revised book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. This production
retained the songs (Friendship and It’s De-Lovely)
interpolated into the 1950’s Television version. In 1989 he brought this
production to London at The Prince Edward Theatre, with Elaine Paige
as Reno, and a year later she was replaced by the lady they call “The
English Ethel Merman”, namely, Louise Gold.
Louise Gold took-over from
Elaine Paige on Monday 2 July 1990,
it appears to have been a tough role for even her powerful pipes, since by the
end of the week she had problems with her voice, and her understudy (whoever
that was) had to play both performances on Saturday 6 July. Though presumably she
was back on form the following week.
Whenever the conductor, Paul Maguire was absent, he would be replaced by Bunny Thompson (as his dep), and Bunny’s dep Kate Young would replace Bunny as
pianist.
In July 2002 Grange Park Opera near Alresford in Hampshire mounted a production of Anything
Goes, starring Kim Criswell as Reno Sweeney. This might well
claim to be the most complete version ever staged, involving both as much of
the original Lindsay and Crouse book as possible, with as many of the later
additions as practical.
The following year, 2003, John Barrowman
reprised his role of Billy Crocker, this time with Sally Ann Triplett as
Reno, in a revival staged by The National Theatre in their Olivier
auditorium, that production later transferred the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
With the result that Anything Goes has to date played no fewer
than three of the big
Friendship is one of those Cole
Porter songs that has undergone several variations. It originally
appeared in the musical Du Barry
Was A Lady. According to The Complete Lyrics Of Cole Porter it has 6 refrains, all of which were
apparently sung in that show. However, when Ethel Merman and Bert
Lahr sang the song in a radio broadcast in December 1939, Refrains 5 and 6
(the ones that begin “If you ever loose your mind, I’ll be kind” and
“If they hang you, pard, send a card. If they ever
cut your throat, write a note”) were
cut, but the other 4 refrains were sung exactly as stated. Most subsequent
performances of the song, however, have tended to omit Refrain 2 (the one that
begins “If you ever loose your way, come to May”). When Judy Garland and Johnny Mercer
recorded a version of the song they sang Refrains 1, 3, 4 and 5. However in
that version the line in Refrain 1 “If you ever need a pal I’m your gal” was
changed to “If your ever in a mess, S.O.S” (a variation later sung by
Merman when she guested on The Muppet Show),
and the line in refrain 3 “If you ever catch on fire, send a wire” was
changed to “If your ever up a tree, call to me”. When Elaine Paige
and Bernard Cribbens recorded the song for the
1989 London revival cast album they recorded Refrains 1, 3, 5 and 6, but rather
than use the original opening line to Refrain 6 “If they hang you, pard, send a card” they sang its more often used
replacement “If you ever crack your spine trussle
mine”. When Louise Gold and Matt Zimmerman recorded the song
for a studio cast album recording of Anything
Goes they sang all refrains except for Refrain 2, and again the opening
line of Refrain 6 they used was “If you ever crack your spine trussle mine”. All six refrains were, however, sung by Louise
Gold and Barry Cryer in Du Barry Was A Lady
(1993 Production) but again the opening line of Refrain 6 they used was “If
you ever crack your spine trussle mine”. However,
eight years later in Du
Barry Was A Lady (2001 Production) Louise Gold and Desmond Barrit sang the whole song as given, complete with the
original Refrain 6 opening line: “If they ever hang you, pard,
send a card”. Likewise in July 2002 when Kim Criswell and Graham Bickley sang the song in Grange Park Opera’s very full production
of Anything Goes, they sang the whole song as given complete with Refrain 2
“If you ever lose your way, come to May” and the original Refrain 6 opening
line “If they ever hang you pard, send a card.”.
Cole Porter went on to write four
more musicals starring Ethel Merman, namely: Red Hot & Blue, Du
Barry Was A Lady (see: Du
Barry Was A Lady (1993 Production) & Du Barry Was A
Lady (2001 Production) ), Panama Hattie,
and, Something For The Boys. Louise
Gold went on to become one of the few artistes to have played Merman’s role
in the whole quintet; having played the subsequent four parts in Ian Marshall-Fisher’s Lost Musicals productions (from 1991 to
1996).
The has always with I Get A Kick Out Of You,
because Cole Porter insisted on having one of the best numbers in the
show early on, as a revenge on latecomers. He knew that some Society people
liked to make an impact by arriving late at shows, and thought it bad manners.
Louise Gold subsequently parodied her
own performance of I Get A Kick Out Of You, on Sesame Street, while puppeteering
Miss Ethel Mermaid singing I Get A Kick Out Of U.
Louise Gold, Matt Zimmerman,
and, Philip Griffiths all sang on the JAY/TER recording of On The Town and Anything
Goes (recording) - Website Recommended Album
Louise Gold and Matt Zimmerman
have appeared in Let ‘Em
Eat Cake
Louise Gold and Philip Griffiths
also went on the sing on the JAY/TER recording of Cabaret
.
Louise Gold, Kevin A. J. Ranson, and Anita Pashley
had previously appeared together in The
Pirates Of Penzance, where Anita took over Louise’s role of Isabel (at the
first major cast change, when Louise departed to work on the Spitting Image pilot). Louise Gold
and Kevin A. J. Ranson were in The Pirates Of Penzance (Gala Preview) , but Anita Pashley was not credited in the programme for the latter. Kate Young had also been a dep pianist on that production. It seems likely that Martin Frith also played in the
orchestra on that production (well he played as part of it in The Royal Variety Performance
(1982)).
Louise Gold and Stuart McLeod
went on to appear in Calamity Jane, one of
Louise’s other starring musical roles.
Danielle Carson, Louise Gold and Ursula
Smith later appeared together in The Lost Musicals production of By Jupiter
Danielle Carson and Louise Gold also
appeared together in The Lost Musicals productions of Du
Barry Was A Lady (1993 Production) and Red Hot
& Blue, and on the JAY/TER recording of Stop The World I
Want To Get Off
Louise Gold and Ashleigh Sendin later appeared together in The Lost Musicals
productions of One Touch of Venus (in
1992), Something For
The Boys, and Of Thee I Sing.
Louise Gold later starred in the title
role in Oh Kay, which did have a book by Guy
Bolton and P.G.Wodehouse.
John Weidman later contributed to the
script of Assassins, which Louise Gold
appeared in the original London production of; and Kate Young helped out as a rehersal
pianist.
John Barrowman and Matt Zimmerman’s
recording credits include The History Of The Musical which also includes an excerpt of Louise
Gold singing I Get A Kick Out Of You.
John Barrowman’s recording credits
include Simply Musicals, which also includes
a track of Louise Gold singing the title song from Anything Goes.
Matt Zimmerman’s recording credits
include The Greatest
Musicals of the 20th Century, which also includes a track of Louise
Gold singing I Get A Kick Out Of You, the opening number from Anything
Goes.
Autograph also did the sound for: Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Touring Production),
A Time To Start
Living, and, Follies
John Barrowman’s recording
credits include Centre Stage Showtime!.
Danielle Carson’s recording
credits include The Great
Musicals – Dashing Heroes, Blushing Maidens.
Louise Gold went on to ‘take-over’
another role in the West End that Pattie Lupone
had been playing on Broadway, when she replaced Cheryl Campbell in Noises Off .
Louise Gold specifically, and quite delightfully highlighted her work in
Anything
Goes in a radio interview Tim
McArthur Interview.
Judith Cound
had previously
worked on When I Was
A Girl I Used
To Scream And Shout.
Jim Wilson went on to play for Broadway To Brighton.
Bunny Thompson went on to write arrangements for Kids At Heart.
Peter Walton went on to play for Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang.
Given David
Munro’s comments in the reviews below, it is perhaps interesting to note
that the year before playing Reno in this production of Anything Goes, Louise Gold had been performing the
title role on the music education TV series The Ghost Of Faffner Hall, on which Marion Montgomery was a guest.
Ten years after starring in Anything
Goes, Louise Gold returned to The Prince Edward Theatre,
in a starring role in another second cast, namely as Tanya in the second cast
of Mamma Mia. While
sixteen years after her Anything Goes triumph, Louise Gold
has once again found herself back at The
Prince Edward Theatre in a somewhat lesser role in Mary Poppins. On the
latter Simon Wood was the stage
manager.
Critics Comments
“Every
“On my second visit, Louise Gold had taken
over the lead and was, I thought, better. Tall and sassy, she gave the classic
songs “You’re The Top” and “I Get A Kick Out Of You” her utmost” Ken Sephton, (In Musical Memories: The
Links about Anything Goes
Indie London’s review pf a touring production of Anything
Goes, which just happens to make a very nice reference to this production: http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Theatre-Review/anything-goes-new-wimbledon-theatre
Theatre Radio’s
interview with Louise Gold http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/news/display?contentId=88986
Muppet Central/Tibby's Bowl Interview with
Louise Gold http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/interviews/gold.shtml
A fairly comprehensive review of a 2002 revival of
Anything Goes, starring Kim Criswell: http://www.qsulis.demon.co.uk/Reviews/Anything_Goes_Review.htm
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