I am very pleased to present to the Lyndhurst community a classic show from the annals of musical theatre history. Anything Goes has been around since its premiere in 1934, and has seen numerous revivals on Broadway, most notably with Patti LuPone in 1987 and Sutton Foster in 2011.
With classic songs by Cole Porter, it has earned its place as a go-to, good-old-fashioned musical comedy, seen on high school, community theatre, and professional stages across the country, and around the world.
A lot of consideration goes into selecting a show each season and there are many factors to examine. In deciding to this show we felt that we had a strong core of dancers, some very talented vocalists, and a wonderful work ethic that had been demonstrated in the past. As you watch our production bear in mind that ninety percent of our cast had never tap danced before. However, we knew that they would work very hard to learn, and they did!! Most would say that this is a show that is too challenging for middle school, but after the success of our past shows we knew it could be done. In addition to the difficult dance choreography, there is a lot of comedic timing required and some interesting concepts about "celebrityhood" and friendship to explore. Concepts that apply as much to today's world as they did in the early '30s. One difference that I have made as a Director is to not have a weapon used in the show as written. Due to some of the current events that we have dealt with throughout this country, I decided not to use the "tommy machine gun" that one of the gangsters usually has, even if it is for "comedic" effect. I hope that any fans of the show understand and do not allow that to take away from their enjoyment of the show.
I know we have a page for acknowlegements, but I have a special thank you for Mr. Chwalyk and Mr. Lang, I couldn't dream of better partners for this creative team. In addition, the moms and dads who volunteered their time and more. And most of all for my family (love you Essie and Livy) and the wonderful student performers that I am blessed to work with! Enjoy the cruise!!
- Steven Arrigoitia
