Anything Goes. Anything Goes premiered in 1934, after a hasty rewrite: The original plot concerned a shipwreck, and shortly before the scheduled opening night, a fire broke out on a cruise liner and 137 passengers were killed. By then the writing team, which included P. G. Wodehouse, had moved on, and Timothy Crouse and John Weidman came in to rewrite the script, tossing it together so fast and creating such a hodgepodge of improbable plot events, corny jokes and juvenile fun that at some point someone exclaimed, "Anything goes" — and the title became a description of the process of putting the thing together. But the plot wasn't the point. Anything Goes is about songs, and those songs are by that elegant genius of musical theater, Cole Porter. Almost all of them are now classics: smart, tuneful, touching, funny, silly or sophisticated. The minute an audience of almost any age hears the first notes of "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top," "It's De-Lovely" or "Anything Goes," they can hum what comes next. There are also huge, exuberant numbers like "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" and some lesser-known gems, including the brief, wistful "Goodbye, Little Dream" — and all of these are performed with joy and skill by the talented cast at Littleton Town Hall. The action takes place on a luxury liner bound for London. Among those on board are evangelist-turned-nightclub-sensation Reno Sweeney and the man she loves, Billy, one-time Yalie Elisha J. Whitney, pretty debutante Hope, Lord Evelyn Oakley and gangster Moonface Martin. The humor hasn't aged well, and some of the comic acting is a bit heavy-handed, too. But there's a lot of exuberant singing, and overall, the show is a fluffy, fizzy helium giggle, a whirl of no-thought-required sound and color in a fantasy world where indeed, anything goes. Presented by Littleton Town Hall Arts Center through December 28, 2450 West Main Street, Littleton, 303-794-2784. townhallartscenter.org. Reviewed November 27.
Fiddler on the Roof. This production of Fiddler on the Roofdoes full justice to Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's brilliant songs, tells the evocative story with clarity and feeling, and also — uniquely — sounds the musical's deeper, darker chords. The action is set in a rural Russian Jewish community whose members can be quarrelsome and petty or generous and helpful, but always unified by timeless bonds of ritual and tradition. At the center of the community is Tevye, a poor milkman struggling to survive and with five daughters to worry about. His worries come to a head when the three eldest daughters, each in turn, defy his patriarchal authority: Instead of submitting to the manipulations of matchmaker Yente, Tzeitel chooses the tailor Motel and only then asks her father's permission; Hodel falls in love with radical Marxist Perchik and prepares to follow him wherever his revolutionary work leads; and, worst of all, Chava marries outside the faith, choosing a Russian soldier. A lot of Tevyes come across like Jewish Santa Clauses, but Wayne Kennedy's version is a different animal entirely. He gives the comedy its due but lets us see the profound sadness beneath the jovial exterior — and something more. This man is loving to his children, generous to the stranger — as Jews are historically required to be — and jokey and argumentative with God. But there are deep currents of rage coursing through his veins as he contemplates the loss of everything he's cherished, including his little bird, his daughter Chava. The entire cast is strong and conveys a sense of authenticity and respect for Jewish history, and the menace humming beneath the action reminds us of the real dangers of the pogroms. Presented by BDT Stage (formerly Boulder's Dinner Theatre) through February 28 at 5501 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder; for information, call 303-449-6000 or go to bouldersdinnertheatre.com. Reviewed December 4.
