By Michelle Gao
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Monday, Feb. 12, 2007, The OG, arts & news

THE HUGE CROWD around the fine arts bulletin board on Friday afternoon could only mean one thing: The cast list for the Cole Porter musical “Anything Goes” had been posted, and eager students were jostling and pushing each other out of the way to see which parts they would be playing.

The spring musical will be performed April 12 to 14 in the North Attic Playhouse.

It hadn't been easy for play director Barbara Ridenour and music director Rick Murphy to choose.

Senior Robert Croisant auditions on Feb. 6.

(Gargoyle photo by Ben Fu) (click to enlarge)

“I am always impressed by the talent I see in auditions,” Ridenour said. “That's why it is always difficult to cast a show. I think the auditions went very well. I think we are going to have a terrific show!”

Senior Paige Martin will play Reno Sweeney, a role first made famous by Broadway legend Ethel Merman in 1934. Reno was the role Martin sought. What attracted her to the part?

“The biggest thing for me was the dancing,” Martin said. “She does a lot of singing and dancing, and I really enjoy dancing.”

Martin Geiger will play Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, an English aristocrat.

“I'm really excited about it because I get to do a British accent, which is something I don't know how to do, and I'm really looking forward to it,” Geiger said. “And he has a really funny mind and a totally bizarre song that is going to be hilarious.”

Both seniors were in the cast of the previous Uni musical, 2005's “Pajama Game.” What makes this production different from its predecessor?

“It's much classier,” Geiger said. “‘Pajama Game' took place in Iowa, and this takes place on a steamer in the Atlantic.”

“Anything Goes” debuted at the Alvin Theatre in New York City on Nov. 21, 1934, and it became one of the longest-running musicals of the 1930s. Porter wrote the music and lyrics. P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse, and Guy Bolton collaborated on the book.

The action takes place on the cruise ship S.S. American, which is sailing from New York to England. The passengers are an assortment of vivid characters variously involved in romance, seduction, status obsession, and attempts to stay clear of the law.

Rehearsals got under way this afternoon. Cast members were eager to begin.

“The plot looks a little crazy but looks like a lot of fun,” Martin said. “And there's music and dancing, and it just has everything.”

Here is the cast of “Anything Goes”:

Reno Sweeney — Paige Martin

Hope Harcourt — Emma Anselin

Evangeline Harcourt — Jackie Hedeman

Lord Evelyn Oakleigh — Martin Geiger

Elisha Whitney — Sam Klein

Billy Crocker — Ethan Berl

Moonface Martin — Alex Cahill

Erma — Nicole Gong

Luke — Luke Chiang

John — Martin Granick

Ship's Captain — Robert Croisant

Ship's Purser — Daniel Borup

Angels (Showgirls) — Anna Cangellaris, Emily Kamm, Maria Gao, Michelle Gao

Male Quartet — TBA

Assorted Others — TBA

(Note: “Assorted Others” include Fred, a bartender; Henry T. Dobson, a minister; two reporters; a photographer; two FBI agents; an old lady in a wheelchair; various sailors; crew; and passengers.)

Chorus/Singers/Dancers:
Kahlilah Cooke

Will Fernandez

Zack Goldberg

Anna Gooler

Sheri Grill

Karen Han

Daisy Hassani

Nicole Helregel

Leslie Hodges

Amanda Hwu

Claire Johnson

Hannah Lake-Rayburn

Sarah Lake-Rayburn

Natsuki Nakamura

Charlie Newman

Stephanie Overmeier

Lauren Piester

Tianna Pittenger

Vivian Robison

Brittany Scheid

Stephanie Senior

James Smith

Lisa Sproat

Beckaa Wallig

Buck Walsh

Jamie Weiser

RELATED

— Gargoyle coverage: Auditions for spring musical to be held Monday, Tuesday

— StageAgent.com: Overview of “Anything Goes”

— Internet Broadway Database: Original Broadway run (420 performances) of “Anything Goes”