Riverside Theatre Press Release Feb. 18, 2003 A Cast of 21 Actors Set Sail in Riverside's 'Anything Goes'
Riverside Theatre hits the high seas with its production of "Anything Goes," which runs on the Mainstage Feb. 28 - March 23. More than 20 actors with credits ranging from film and television to the stages of Broadway come together for this toe-tapping cruise only Cole Porter could dream up. Sponsored by Northern Trust, "Anything Goes" was the brainchild of producer Vinton Freedley, who came up with the idea for the show, while hiding out aboard a fishing boat in the Gulf of Panama en route to New York City in an effort to escape creditors. In 1934, after he assembled a team of writers (Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse with music and lyrics by Cole Porter), Freedley and the group based the musical on an ocean liner facing the threat of a possible shipwreck. However, just days before rehearsals were about to begin the S.S. Morro Castle went down off the New Jersey coast, killing more than 125 passengers. obviously, "Anything Goes" had to be written. The rewrite kept most of the same characters, but took away the idea of a shipwreck. Stories claim that the title song and name of the show didn't come about until the second draft and was added in over night by Porter. "Anything Goes" was an inside joke about the desperation with which the show was put together. Some critics call it the ultimate musical theatre with show-stopping dance numbers and a score of contemporary standards such as "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top" and "It's De-lovely." The story revolves around a cast of characters, including wealthy businessmen, nightclub singers, a love-sick stowaway, a debutante and a notorious gangster on a cruise ship from New York City to London. Riverside Theatre's cast includes 21 actors with credits that range from televisions shows including "Law & Order" and "Beverly Hills 90210" to films such as "In and Out," "Everyone Says I Love You" and "The Guru." Stage credits range from Broadway to national tours to landmarks such as the Kennedy Center and Madison Square Garden. The cast includes: Tom Beckett (Moonface), Jarlath Conroy (Mr. Whitney), Natalie Cortez (Hope), Patricia Dell (character woman), Ron DeStefano (Purser), Anita Flanagan (Mrs. Harcourt), Jenny Florkowski (Purity), Ruth Gottschall (Reno Sweeney), Michael Gruber (Billy), Wynn Harmon (Sir Evelyn), Benjamin Howes (character man), Erik Hayden (sailor), Peter King-Yuen (Chinese man), Peter Leskowicz (sailor), Denise Molnar (Charity), Amanda Rose (angel - Charity), Kelly Shook (Virtue), Jeanna Marie Schweppe (Erma), Eric Summers (sailor), Richard Vida (Captain) and Jason Zammit (sailor). Riverside Theatre is a professional, not-for-profit theatre located at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, Florida. Riverside Theatre programs are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Riverside Theatre is a member of the Cultural Council of Indian River County. main Anything Goes 2003 page

Riverside Theatre Press Release
Feb. 18, 2003

A Cast of 21 Actors Set Sail in Riverside's 'Anything Goes'

Riverside Theatre hits the high seas with its production of "Anything Goes," which runs on the Mainstage Feb. 28 - March 23. More than 20 actors with credits ranging from film and television to the stages of Broadway come together for this toe-tapping cruise only Cole Porter could dream up.

Sponsored by Northern Trust, "Anything Goes" was the brainchild of producer Vinton Freedley, who came up with the idea for the show, while hiding out aboard a fishing boat in the Gulf of Panama en route to New York City in an effort to escape creditors. In 1934, after he assembled a team of writers (Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse with music and lyrics by Cole Porter), Freedley and the group based the musical on an ocean liner facing the threat of a possible shipwreck.

However, just days before rehearsals were about to begin the S.S. Morro Castle went down off the New Jersey coast, killing more than 125 passengers. obviously, "Anything Goes" had to be written. The rewrite kept most of the same characters, but took away the idea of a shipwreck. Stories claim that the title song and name of the show didn't come about until the second draft and was added in over night by Porter. "Anything Goes" was an inside joke about the desperation with which the show was put together.

Some critics call it the ultimate musical theatre with show-stopping dance numbers and a score of contemporary standards such as "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top" and "It's De-lovely." The story revolves around a cast of characters, including wealthy businessmen, nightclub singers, a love-sick stowaway, a debutante and a notorious gangster on a cruise ship from New York City to London.

Riverside Theatre's cast includes 21 actors with credits that range from televisions shows including "Law & Order" and "Beverly Hills 90210" to films such as "In and Out," "Everyone Says I Love You" and "The Guru." Stage credits range from Broadway to national tours to landmarks such as the Kennedy Center and Madison Square Garden.

The cast includes: Tom Beckett (Moonface), Jarlath Conroy (Mr. Whitney), Natalie Cortez (Hope), Patricia Dell (character woman), Ron DeStefano (Purser), Anita Flanagan (Mrs. Harcourt), Jenny Florkowski (Purity), Ruth Gottschall (Reno Sweeney), Michael Gruber (Billy), Wynn Harmon (Sir Evelyn), Benjamin Howes (character man), Erik Hayden (sailor), Peter King-Yuen (Chinese man), Peter Leskowicz (sailor), Denise Molnar (Charity), Amanda Rose (angel - Charity), Kelly Shook (Virtue), Jeanna Marie Schweppe (Erma), Eric Summers (sailor), Richard Vida (Captain) and Jason Zammit (sailor).

Riverside Theatre is a professional, not-for-profit theatre located at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, Florida.

Riverside Theatre programs are sponsored in part by the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Riverside Theatre is a member of the Cultural Council of Indian River County.

main Anything Goes 2003 page