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By Madelyn Meckes
On the 6th, 7th, and 8th of February, Theatre West put on yet another fabulous production. This year's Winter Musical was Anything Goes. With music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Anything Goes is a comedy that follows Billy Crocker who works on Wall Street in the 1930s. Billy meets the debutant Hope Harcourt at a party and stows away on the S.S American to see her again. Billy runs into his old friend, Reno Sweeny, an outgoing showgirl, who convinces him to go for Hope. On board, he finds out his boss is on the ship and uses the help of Moonface Martin, an incompetent gangster, and Erma, a scandalous, outrageous woman, to find a disguise. Billy is eventually framed as Snake Eyes Johnson, Public Enemy Number 1. Billy is praised for being a gangster, but eventually admits he is in fact just a regular guy. In the end, Billy and Hope get married, along with two other couples who also marry on the boat.
Anything Goes was such a great experience. This production highlighted just how strong and talented the Kenmore West theatre program is. It showcased our actors, who shined on stage, and our crew, who spent countless hours creating the set, lighting design, and sound. The pit orchestra was suburb. The productions at West simply outdo themselves every single year. With such a drastic genre change from our past two musicals, Cinderella and Fiddler on The Roof, this show tested the cast's ability to perform a comedy.
All involved did a great job and a lot of people who saw this production shared the same thoughts. After opening night, word spread fast around West. Both students and teachers who came to the first show shared great reviews, saying it was the best they’ve seen on the Kenmore West stage. As the performance nights went on, morale grew higher and higher.
This year, Theatre West is participating in the Shea’s Wonder Awards. The Wonder Awards is an opportunity for high schools to be recognized and honored for their musical productions. Awards are given to the winners of various categories. The categories include acting, dancing, set design and construction, costumes, lighting, and many more. Different judges came to the performances, taking notes as they hopefully enjoyed the performance. Parts of the show were filmed for other judges to watch who did not come in person. Nominations will be announced in March with a ceremony held in May.
On a personal note, once again, being a part of a Theatre West production was truly magical. The community built within a production is something that you can't get anywhere else. Everyone is there for each other and building a show from the ground up is so fulfilling. Thank you to everyone who came to see the show and supported Theatre West. Another huge thank you to our directors, cast, and crew. Congratulations on another amazing show!
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