One of Milwaukee's top theater troupes, the venerable Skylight Opera Theater, closes its 45th season with a rousing production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes. Using the updated 1987 version of this musical evergreen, Skylight understands that it's the music that carries the evening. From "You're the Top," "I Get a Kick Out of You," "Friendship" and "It's De-Lovely," plus the title song, Anything Goes overflows with musical riches. The tunes are so wonderful that it helps to obscure the corny plot, which concerns a multitude of shipboard romances. The audience doesn't really care about who-loves-who, because we know it will all work out in the end. There's not a ripple of suspense throughout the show -- even the authentic-looking machine gun (sported by gangster Moonface Martin) doesn't offer much of a scare. We know this light-as-a-feather story will keep its buoyant charm, no matter what.
Maintaining the show's breeziness takes a skilled cast, and in most cases, Skylight delivers. There is a genuine spark between Billy Crocker, (Curt Dale Clark), a Wall Street flunky, and his lady love, the former debutante Hope Harcourt (Katie Sina). Part of this spark is undoubtedly due to this pair's physical attractiveness. Clark has 1930s matinee-idol looks and mannerisms, and Sina brings more brains to the package than is typically seen. A skilled dancer, this lithe, light-footed blonde practically floats across the stage in her long, gauzy dresses. Both Clark and Sina have voices to match their looks, as they prove during the duet, "Easy to Love." Anything Goes originally was built to showcase the talents of Ethel Merman, in the role of Reno Sweeney, a sexy nightclub singer. However, this is the Skylight's weakest link. Rebecca Spice (as Reno) gives it her all, but she cannot come close to having the effect that thrilled audiences who witnessed Patti LuPone (in the 1987 version) or Ethel Merman (in 1934). Spice is more of a character actress, and she cannot sustain this lead role, with its the heavy load of singing, dancing and acting chores. One cannot help wondering why choreographer Russell Garrett puts Spice through such rigorous paces during the dance numbers, when she should be conserving her energy for singing? To make matters worse, Spice is adorned in the most awful wig and outfits imaginable. Her dresses look matronly, not sexy.
Oddly, some of the other costumes are brilliantly conceived. For instance, there's the spot-on raccoon coat and straw boater worn by the hard-drinking Yale alumni Elisha Witney (in a standout performance by David Ferrie). One recalls another memorable outfit, worn by a wealthy socialite during a lifeboat drill (diamond tiara and mink coat with an orange life vest). However, all is not lost. Without a Reno Sweeney who captures the spotlight, one is able to better appreciate the star turn given by Tom Frey (as the priggish Lord Evelyn Oakleigh). He virtually steals the show during his emotional coming-out number, "The Gypsy in Me." Spice is up to snuff as his partner, in which she is twirled, rolled and practically torn limb from limb by the frenetic Frey. Not to be outdone, Eric Price delivers a comic tour-de-force as the dopey gangster, Moonface Martin. Price never misses a chance to tweak the audience's funny bone.
Choreography is uneven, especially in the first act. The two-dimensional shipboard set is given added dimension by Julie Mack's glorious lighting. On opening night, some parts of the pit band needed a bit more practice. Yet despite these minor gaffes, Anything Goes manages to stay securely afloat.
