Sending viewers into the summer night humming and tapping their toes, the Theatre Group at Santa Barbara City College has set sail on its 81st season by producing Cole Porter’s triumphant musical, Anything Goes. Running at the Garvin Theatre under the direction of Katie Laris, the musical serves as an ideal reminder of the power of theater to create spaces that spark happiness, laughter, and a true sense of community.
Simply put, to paraphrase the great Cole Porter himself, the Theatre Group’s production is “delightful, it’s delicious, it’s de-lovely!”
It has long been Theatre Group tradition to kick off its seasons with a musical, and in recent years the company has consistently surpassed itself each July by putting on a somehow even bigger, brighter, production than the one before. Anything Goes continues this upward trend with an impressive cast of 31 actors who unite for show-stopping ensemble numbers atop a massive cruise ship set, courtesy of scenic designer Bruce Goodrich.
One of Cole Porter’s most popular Broadway hits, Anything Goes is the epitome of a screwball romantic comedy. Its simple yet silly plot, which largely serves the purpose of connecting one Porter song to the next, follows a young broker Billy (played by Sam Malone) as he stows away on a trans-Atlantic cruise in order to win over the debutante Hope Harcourt (Kaitlyn Diffenderfer) and break up her engagement to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Samuel Truax).
Onboard, Billy dodges the ship’s captain (Michael A. D’Emidio) and his boss (Matt Talbott) with the help of nightclub performer Reno Sweeney (Atalia Zahrndt) and Moonface Martin (Austin Escamilla), who is a gangster fleeing to England disguised as a priest. With a fleet of sailors, showgirls, and mischievous characters rounding out the ship’s manifest, hilarity abounds as identities are mistaken and true love triumphs.
Many actors will be familiar faces to local theater buffs, including Escamilla, who delivered a standout comic performance as Moonface by pairing his well-timed physical comedy and caricaturesque gangster voice to create the persona of an endearing, well-intentioned wanna-be tough guy. Tiffany Story, no stranger to the Garvin, also returns as Moonface’s playfully promiscuous partner-in-crime.
Yet above all, this musical is a production driven by fresh talent, with four of the primary roles occupied by actors making their Theatre Group debuts. Malone and Diffenderfer played off each others’ humor and hopefulness as the central romantic pair, singing beautiful duets such as It’s De-Lovely. Truax delivers a passionate performance as the socially clueless Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, expertly playing off and heightening the comic antics of his co-stars.
Shining brightest is Zahrndt, who as Reno Sweeney exuded all of the glamor and wit of a fast-talking Old Hollywood star, à la Rosalind Russell or Eve Arden. Her rich and resonant voice sets and keeps the pace for the entire production, as she wows with renditions of I Get a Kick Out of You, Anything Goes, and duets with Malone and Escamilla, both of whom also carry great vocal skill.
Add stellar costumes by Pamela Shaw and a live, swinging band onstage directed by David Potter, and Anything Goes is Santa Barbara’s ticket to Broadway fun this summer. Performances continue through July 25th.
For tickets visit theatregroupsbcc.com
