University of Virginia Library

STAGE

Night The Bed Almost Fell

By EDWARD STEELE

The Albemarle Playhouse
production of Anything Goes
relies upon the strength of the
Cole Porter music and lyrics
and some sterling performances
in the lead roles to carry it over
the many rough spots in the
script. The book, with few
exceptions, seems to exist
merely as a vehicle for the
bright Porter music. Its
characters are stereotypical,
the plot contrived, and the
majority of laughs are obtained
crudely and with cheap shots.

Most of the truly humorous
lines belong to the character of
Moon, number thirteen on the
FBI's most wanted list and
always trying harder to climb
the ladder of success. Lucky
Noll portrays the rotund
gangster with elfish glee, and
gets all he can out of any line
that even vaguely resembles
fun.

Pat Prinz as Reno Sweeney
and Russell P. Gustafson as
Billy give winning
performances and carry a good
deal of the production. Miss
Prinz, blessed with an Ethel
Mermanish role, brings her own
special brand of excitement to
the part, and she and Mr.
Gustafson remain strong
throughout, faltering only in
their sentimental ballads.

W. Simpers and Jane Van
Boskirk, who appear as Sir
Evelyn Oakleigh and Bonnie,
Moon's sometimes girlfriend,
make the most of their roles
with Miss Van Boskirk's
Heaven Hop a surprise delight.

Reno Sweeney's three
angels, Virtue, Purity and
Chastity, played by Becky
Brian, Carla Miller and Penni
Jontz, add sparkle and glitter
to the stage with Miss Brian
and Miss Jontz exhibiting
strong singing voices.

Although the major roles
are relatively strong, the minor
roles tend to suffer from
inexperience and stiffness. For
the most part, these minor
characters do little harm, but
several moments in the evening
become less than adequate due
to these characters.

The music is under the
supervision of Howard Hanson,
and is generally strong
throughout. Mr. Hanson also
plays the piano for the
production, and along with
Michael Hughes, the
percussionist, captures the
magic of Cole Porter's music.
Numbers of particular
excellence are Let's Misbehave,
and Reno, Billy, and Moon's
Friendship, the only real
showstopper.

The larger numbers, Bon
Voyage and the Finale do not
quite come off, however, and
leave the audience
disappointed.

Technically, this production
leaves a lot to be desired. While
Lee Hausman's lights seem
fairly uniform, the settings are
shoddy, when not
non-existent. One particular
piece, for example, is a bunk
bed upon which Mr. Noll must
place his expansiveness. A great
sigh of relief passed over the
audience when the bed finally
eased to wobble, and Mr. Noll
was perched safely on the top
bunk. There is no program
credit given to a designer, and
this particular production
seems to have suffered greatly
due to this.

The lack of cohesiveness in
set design is further
accentuated by the failure of
the costume design to come
together. The strange mixture
of thirties, forties and fifties
fashions and hairdos give a
disjointed feeling to the entire
production.

Triumphing over all,
however, are some fine
performances and the magical
sounds of Cole Porter. After an
evening with Anything Goes,
one wonders whatever
happened to the Cole Porters,
George Gershwins, Jerome
Kerns and Irving Berlins.