Everything Goes MAMA
Cole Porter classic for Musselburgh company
MAMA, the Musselburgh Amateur Musicals Association, will be serving up something of an eye-opening surprise with their production of Anything Goes next week.
The production which opens on Wednesday, will feature an onstage company of 35, with nine performing in the pit, as MAMA take on the relatively unknown Beaumont version of the showl.
Jenna Lee as Reno Sweeney. Photo: MAMA
Originally produced in 1934 with music and lyrics by Cole Porter, the show’s book started out as a collaboration between Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse but was revised by the team of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse.
When the S.S. American heads out to sea, steaming out of New York and bound for England, etiquette and convention get tossed out of the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love.
Billy Crocker is a stowaway – he’s in love with heiress Hope Harcourt who, unfortunately, is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Fortunately night-club singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy #13 Moonface Martin are on hand to help Billy in his quest to win Hope.
President of MAMA, Mark Becher told Æ: “We wanted to perform a show that would challenge the Company in terms of characterisation, music and dance, at the same time as delivering a show that would really entertain our audiences.”
Beaumont version
That it should, with songs such as I Get A Kick Out Of You, You’re The Top and the hugely hummable title number, Anything Goes.
Claire Riddoch and Vikki Hyndman – The Fallen Angels in Anything Goes. Photo: MAMA
The Beaumont version refers to the 1987 revival of the show, which rejigged the order a little, rescored the music for a smaller, swing band and brought in a few numbers from other Cole Porter musicals. Including It’s De-Lovely and Goodbye, Little Dream, Goodbye from Red, Hot and Blue.
It’s a production which will challenge the company members, as Becher is happy to admit. He told Æ: “Our choreographer, Lisa McLeod, has introduced many of us to tap-dancing for the first time!
“We have over 20 of us taking on the challenge of a tap routine for the title number of the show and although there was natural apprehension at the outset, we have thoroughly enjoyed learning the routine and we look forward to performing it next week!”
Direction for the show comes from Graeme Aitken who promised Æ that MAMA’s faithful audience members will get their own surprises. Pleasurable, one hopes.
He said: “I think this production will surprise our audience with the Company’s willingness to adapt to new styles and ideas. The inclusion of a burlesque sequence during Reno Sweeney’s ‘service’ certainly will surprise our audiences and will show a new dimension to previous versions of the musical.”
Listing
Anything Goes
Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh EH21 6AA
Wednesday 13-Saturday 16 April 2016
Evenings: 7.30pm
Tickets and details: www.thebrunton.co.uk
ENDS
