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The Marquis Players, a student group that produces a musical each year to benefit charity, will perform Anything Goes 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Williams Center for the Arts.
Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased in the Farinon Center during lunch hours this week, at the door before each performance, or from any cast member (see list below).
The musical is set on a luxury ship traveling to England from New York. The passengers include gangster Moonface Martin and his sidekick Bonnie, a nightclub singer named Reno Sweeny, and New York businessman Elisah Whitney and his assistant Billy Crocker, who is on board as a stowaway following Hope Harcourt, the woman he wants to pursue. The plot is complicated further by Harcourt’s fiancé and mother.
Cole Porter composed Anything Goes’ lyrics and music. It was produced at the Alvin Theatre on Nov. 21, 1934, with William Gaxton as Billy, Ethel Merman as Reno, and Victor Moore as Moonface.
According to Marquis Players president and vocal director Toni Ahrens ’05 (Hamilton, N.Y.), a double major in psychology and English with a concentration in theater, the popularity of Porter’s work is part of the reason this musical was chosen.
“This musical has many of Cole Porter’s classic songs such as ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You,’ ‘It’s Delovely,’ and ‘Anything Goes,’” she says. “ It is also filled with smart dialogue, memorable characters, show-stopping dance numbers, and a lot of great roles for our actors to delve into.”
Ahrens says the time commitment for the production depends on the role each actor plays.
“Lead actors had rehearsals four or five days a week for a couple of hours, while the ensemble probably met two or three times a week for a couple of hours,” she says.
Additional time is spent fundraising, building sets, making costumes, advertising, and doing all of the other behind-the-scenes aspects of the show.
Ahrens says experiences like this have made her time at Lafayette very beneficial.
“Lafayette has allowed me to participate in various organizations and hold a lot of leadership positions. This has helped me gain a lot of life skills, including time management, organization, collaboration, cooperation, delegation, and dedication,” she says. “I have also developed more confidence in myself and my abilities as a leader and as a person.”
Ahrens performed in last fall’s College Theatre production of Dutchman, directed Uncommon Women and Others, and played Lucy Van Pelt in last year’s Marquis Players production of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.
The Marquis Players group meets at the end of the semester to decide how much money to give to what charities based on needs and services. Past charities that have benefited include Safe Harbor, Third Street Alliance, SPCA, Habitat for Humanity, Alternative Spring Break, Kids in the Community, and Four Diamonds. Last year’s production raised $6,200.
Cast
Leading Roles
Billy Crocker – Matt Roy
Reno Sweeny – Toni Ahrens
Moonface Martin – Benji Berlow
Hope Harcourt – Megan Kaesshaefer
Sir Evelyn Oakleigh – Dan O’Neil
Bonnie LeTour – Amanda Driscoll
Elisha Whitney – Tyler Cohn
Mrs. Harcourt – Caryn Donohue
Reno’s Angels
Chastity – Sheena Travaglini
Purity – Christie Morley
Virtue – Christina Frey
Charity – Tisha Travaglini
Integrity – Lauren Chepauskas
Modesty – Claire Corgan
Other Characters
Stewardess – Lindsay Laborda
Reporter – Allison Kramer
Photographer – Ashley Mahler
Purser – Danielle Wyckoff
Captain – Zack Ilch
Ching – Elena Dones
Ling – Caitlin Ward
Girl 1 – Stephanie Morain
Girl 2 – Ashley Mahler
Girl 3 – Dana Swartz
Drunk/Sailor – Jeff Lininger
Ensemble
Gina Brewer
Michelle Devine
Elena Dones
Christine Fitzherbert
Zack Ilch
Allison Kramer
Lindsay Laborda
Jess Lenza
Jeff Lininger
Ashley Mahler
Stephanie Morain
Dana Swartz
Meghan Sweeney
Caitlin Ward
Danielle Wyckoff
Production Staff
Directors: Jess Goldblat & Melissa Spitz
Pit Director: Joanna Vogel
Vocal Director: Toni Ahrens
Choreographer: Amanda Driscoll
Set Design: Benji Berlow and Christie Morley
Costume Team: Caryn Donahue and Ashley Mahler
Stage Manager: Stacey Ehrlich
Lighting Design: Kiira Benzing
Sound Design: John Kolba
Executive Council
President: Toni Ahrens
Vice President: Benji Berlow
Treasurer: Ashley Mahler
Secretary: Caryn Donahue
Business Manger: Christina Morley