Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Department of Performing and Visual Arts, Pioneer Players and Musical Theater present Cole Porter's 1930s musical "Anything Goes" at the Center for the Arts in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall on the UWP campus. The production opened with a matinee on April 2 at 1 p.m. and continues through the week with evening performances April 3 through 5 at 7:30 p.m. It will close with a matinee on April 6 at 2 p.m.

The story of this rousing song-and-dance filled musical comedy follows a colorful group of people aboard the S.S. American as they sail from New York to England. Included among them are a gangster (Moonface Martin), a wealthy debutante and her mother (Hope and Evangeline Harcourt), a nightclub singer (Reno Sweeny), and a wealthy New York businessman and his stowaway assistant (Elisha Whitney and Billy Crocker). It turns out that Hope is Billy's long-lost love. Unfortunately, she is now engaged to a wealthy Englishman, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. After a series of mistaken identities and comedic twists and turns, Billy manages to win Hope back. Meanwhile, Billy's friend, Reno, successfully seduces and wins the heart of Lord Evelyn. All this happens while Moonface Martin attempts to escape the law, and Hope's mother strives to maintain her social status. The 29 member cast includes recent veterans of UWP musical theater Ben Barlow, Jarod Boerst, Ryan Currie, Lizzie Hansen, Bryan Kerian, Kelsey Klug and Alaina Ward in central roles as well as relative newcomer Katie Follman as Bonnie.

"It's been a long time since UWP music theater has put on a tap show," says director David Schuler, "so it's been an exciting and rewarding process for all of us." In order to accomplish this, the journey of bringing "Anything Goes" to the stage has been a collaborative effort. Aside from Schuler, the department has enlisted the efforts of Platteville's own Susan Savage Day, professor of voice and musical director. The two-story, luxury liner S. S. American is designed and recreated by Brad Carlson, the theater program's technical director/designer, and the costumes are designed by Creative Connections from Stoughton. Performing and Visual Arts department chair Dan Fairchild is conducting the instrumental ensemble, assisted by accompanist Terry Dillon, and Cole Muth, a senior theater minor, will be designing lights. His previous designs were used in "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Pirates of Penzance."

Connie SaLoutos Furlan is the choreographer for the musical. Furlan continues to enjoy a career as a musical theater performer and choreographer in New York, on national tours and in regional theaters around the country. "The skills, creativity and insight Connie has shared with our students has taken this production to another level," echoed Schuler. "We couldn't have done the show without her."

With music and lyrics by Cole Porter, this high-energy production is chock-full of jazz favorites like "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," "Let's Misbehave," "Friendship," "It's Delovely," "I Get a Kick Out of You," as well as the title song "Anything Goes." For tickets and information, call the CFA Box Office at (608) 342-1298.

Contact: David Schuler, UWP Performing and Visual Arts, (608) 342-1889, schulerd@uwplatt.edu Formatted by: Anne Killian, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, killiana@uwplatt.edu