by Addison Wylie
Pictures: Dustin Bowers
St. James Players ushers in the winter season with Anything Goes, an ensemble farce that originated in the 1930s with music and lyrics provided by Cole Porter. The show is a grab bag of different tones and humour; ranging from heartsick romance to slapstick comedy to crime caper, all while bobbing at sea on an extravagant cruise aboard the SS American. While it’s considered a chapter in classic musical theatre, it can also be an intimidating balancing act. Luckily for St. James Players, director Dustin Bowers not only sports confidence in his rendition, but he also admires the material itself.
“I’ve been a fan of Anything Goes for a very long time,” Bowers boasts. “And, I’m a big fan of Cole Porter’s music and lyrics.” Bowers has previously been St. James Players’ resident musical director on several productions, including Mary Poppins, Shrek: The Musical, and Mamma Mia!. Anything Goes marks his debut as director of the production on the whole. “The most exciting part for me was taking an older musical that’s been performed so many times before, and find ways to make it different, fresh, and exciting for those in the audience who may have seen it once or twice before. There have been script and music revisions over the years, so this 2022 revision will appeal to today’s audiences while maintaining a story about love – lost and found – on the high seas.” On the play’s visual aesthetics, Bowers explained, “we didn’t skip corners at any point. The costuming, the sets and the dressing, the lighting, and the sound are all top-notch. The show takes place on a 1930’s luxury cruise ship and I really wanted to emulate that feeling from the moment you walk in the theatre.”
As someone who has worked with Bowers before in his musical theatre element, I can personally vouch for his passion and experience. When asked about facing new challenges, Bowers explained, “the nervousness for me came from stepping outside of my comfort zone as the musical director for the last five fall productions, and stepping into the role as director. The opportunity is something I’ve thought about for a while because, as music director, I’ve worked closely with previous directors and I got to see the efforts involved for making a play come alive on stage. Making it happen myself was definitely a learning curve.”
After watching a dress rehearsal of St. James Players’ Anything Goes and comparing it to the Mirvish run I had seen at an earlier age, I personally preferred Bowers’ version. Anything Goes is supposed to be played as a loud and large extravaganza but, by doing so, the play risks going over the top and becoming too overwhelming. St. James Players’ nails the showy aspects of Anything Goes but, also, comes across as humble. This more intimate style allows for charming and hilarious moments to shine through among the sea of characters (no pun intended). I found the original work of Anything Goes misunderstands that, when mixing an ensemble comedy and a farce, everyone has to be tripping over themselves. Whereas St. James Players captures that same excitable energy while also keeping it contained. Even if some of the larger staging plays tricks with our eyeline, positioning some of the rising action in the background, Bowers and his cast keep the momentum moving.
“Absolutely everything about this cast impresses me, and that’s not just hollow praise to pump them up,” Bower expresses with gratitude. “Aside from spending months of learning music, learning lines and blocking, and learning choreography, everyone in the cast contributed to the overall production in ways that are ‘outside the box’. Anything that I would inquire about was followed by someone stepping up and saying ‘not a problem’. I asked for a railing that looks like a ship – not a problem! I ask for light-up LED portals – not a problem! I asked for matching luxury staterooms – not a problem! These people aren’t just talented….they’re multi-talented!”
Local theatre is a staple in the Peterborough community, and Bowers hopes that Anything Goes will provide further evidence of its importance. “I think local theatre is important because it’s fun! As a community, its fun to invite friends, family, and neighbours to come watch the end result of thousands of hours of work, and to entertain those people in a way they might not normally be entertained.” Elaborating on this idea of involvement Bowers continued, “as a social outlet, it’s a blast to meet new people and work together to create something together. On a personal level, it’s fun to create new skills or hone skills that can be seen and appreciated. As a collective experience, it’s fun to appreciate the efforts of a cast of characters that are on board the SS American sailing across the Showplace stage and then, in the morning, get up and go to work in careers from serving coffee to performing surgeries.”
There you have it: anyone who’s anybody should see St James Players’ production of Anything Goes.
St. James Players’ Anything Goes is playing at the Showplace Performance Centre from Friday, November 8 – Saturday, November 16.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.stjamesplayers.ca
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