The quintessential Broadway musical of the 1930s is unquestionably Anything Goes. The frothy 1934 screwball comedy set aboard a luxury ocean liners is a barrel of laughs (a credit to the original book writers P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton and Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse).
But more importantly, Anything Goes sparkles with a standard-filled score by the late gay composer Cole Porter. Just a few of Porter’s classic songs include “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top” and the tap-happy title number.
However, if you listen closely to the lyrics, some sly gay insinuations can be gleaned. For instance, the song “Anything Goes” features a verse that goes: “If love affairs you like, with young bears you like, why nobody will oppose.” Also, “You’re the Top” features the capping lyric, “But if baby I’m the bottom, you’re the top!”
Chicago audiences get another chance to revel in the musical comedy world of Anything Goes now that the North American tour of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2011 Broadway revival is playing at the Cadillac Palace Theatre. The three-time Tony Award-winning production uses the 1987 Lincoln Center Theater revisal by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman, which interpolated even more Porter songs like “It’s De-Lovely” and “Friendship” from his other shows.
Rachel York (City of Angels, Victor/Victoria) stars as the revivalist lounge singer Reno Sweeney, who sings the Act II showstopper “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” (a song title that causes many people to titter for double entendre meanings).
Also in the company is out actor Marcus Shane, who portrays the Chinese brother, John, who is under the watch of a minister named Henry T. Dobson. Windy City Times caught up with Shane, a Korean native who grew up with an adopted American family near Ann Arbor, Mich., just before a brush up rehearsal with Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall in Pittsburg. Below is an edited interview with Shane:
WCT: Could you tell us about your character and what he gets up to in the show?
Marcus Shane: I play one of two brothers who come onto the ship and we are watched by a priest to help us get back onto the right path in life. My character is a recovering alcoholic and my brother, played by Vincent Rodriguez III, is a gambler. So we’re on the boat and there are so many wacky and fun plots and we cause so much mischief because of my brother’s gambling problem.
WCT: So what is it like being a Cole Porter musical that is so emblematic of the 1930s?
Marcus Shane: The show wouldn’t be anything without him because he wrote such an amazing score for it. His lyrics are so clever and well-thought-out. That’s what makes this score and show feel really exciting. It’s classic music theater that has all of the spectacle and pizzazz of any new piece of work that you’ll see on Broadway. And what’s great is that it’s for people of all ages. … I think that’s why the tour is doing so well across the nation. Word of mouth is huge.
WCT: It is difficult to keep fit while you’re on tour?
Marcus Shane: It’s hard because you get tempted. Kathleen Marshall’s hometown is Pittsburgh and she’s telling us everywhere to go to eat. But you really have to watch yourself because you could gain a few pounds. But Roundabout’s so good about getting us gyms and it’s really important for us to be able to work out every day and keep fit.
WCT: Do you have any connections to Chicago?
Marcus Shane: I have a lot of friends from college. One is Adrian Aguilar, who is performing right now in Pal Joey [for Porchlight Music Theatre]. He’s been like a big brother for about seven years now because I also know his brother, Alex Aguilar, who is in New York. I also auditioned for MTV’s The Real World Chicago a long time ago.
WCT: What are the best moments of the show, in your opinion?
Marcus Shane: There’s an eight-minute tap break for Anything Goes. It’s one of the best pre-intermission dances you will ever see. Everyone in the company, especially Rachel York, works their butts off. I don’t know how she does it every day, but she leads the company in that and then Blow, Gabriel, Blow in Act II. Back-to-back before and after intermission, the whole company does another blockbuster number led by Rachel, who just slays it. She’s beautiful and so talented. Every time I’m offstage I can’t stop looking at her. She’s amazing.
Anything Goes continues through Sunday, May 5, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St. Performance times are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday (and Sunday, April 28), 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays (also Wednesday, May 1). Tickets are $27-$95; call 800-775-2000 or visit www.broadwayinchicago.com.