Ninety years after its original Broadway opening, Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” is a rare 1930s musical comedy still loved by audiences around the world. The wildly joyous musical runs from Aug. 19 to 25 at The Muny and closes the theater’s 106th season.
“Composer and lyricist Cole Porter is one of our great American songwriters,” said Mike Isaacson, artistic director and executive producer at The Muny. “The score for ‘Anything Goes’ is unbelievable and still holds up as fresh, vibrant and moving after all these decades.” But don’t come to this show looking for heavy themes or life lessons, Isaacson said.
The show is nonstop joy and silliness. “A musical farce is hard because you’ve got to keep the action going, and the music can stop it, but this is the perfect balance,” he said. “We've got Jared Grimes choreographing, who played the Scarecrow in ‘The Wiz’ in 2018.
He is a premier dancer and choreographer, renowned around the world for his tap choreography.” In this romp on the high seas, two unlikely pairs aboard the S.S.
American set sail for true love and a boatload of comedic chaos. Unforgettable songs include “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top” and the showstopping title tune. The show was last produced at The Muny in 1999.
“It ’ s one of the great treasures of our musical theater canon,” said director Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who has helmed Muny productions including “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” (2023.