Le monde des musicals

Billy Crocker est monté clandestinement à bord du navire de croisière « S.S. American » afin de tenter de reconquérir celle qu’il aime, Hope Harcourt, mais qui doit se marier avec un autre, le riche Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Billy est soutenu par Reno Sweeney, une chanteuse qui tient toujours tendrement à lui, et par un autre passager clandestin, Moonface Martin, un gangster de second rang qui essaie d’échapper au FBI. Après des difficultés et des rebondissements, l’amour finira par triompher. La croisière s’achèvera par plusieurs mariages, dont certains inattendus.

Version 1934)

Version 1962
Acte I: Overture / You're the Top / Bon Voyage / It's De-Lovely / Heaven Hop / Friendship / I Get a Kick Out of You / Anything Goes
Acte II: Public Enemy Number One / Let's Step Out / Let's Misbehave / Blow, Gabriel, Blow / All Through the Night / Be Like the Bluebird / Take Me Back to Manhattan

Version 1987
Acte I: I Get a Kick Out of You / There's No Cure Like Travel / Bon Voyage / You're the Top / Easy to Love / I Want to Row on the Crew / There'll Always Be a Lady Fair / Friendship / It's De-Lovely / Anything Goes
Acte II: Public Enemy Number One / Blow, Gabriel, Blow / Goodbye, Little Dream, Goodbye / Be Like the Bluebird / All Through the Night / The Gypsy in Me /Buddie Beware / I Get a Kick Out of You

"Anything goes" est basé sur l'idée d'un producteur, Vinton Freedley, qui habitait sur un bateau après avoir quitté les Etats-Unis pour fuir ses dettes. Il a sélectionné l'équipe de création, et la star, Ethel Merman. Alors que le spectacle était en préparation, un bateau du passager, le SS Morro Castle, a brûlé et plus de 125 passagers ont péri. L'intrigue originale, qui parlait d'un fou faisant sauter un paquebot a été jugée, indélicate et le livret de Bolton & Wodehouse a été presque totalement recréé par Lindsay et Crouse qui sont devenus des partenaires d'écriture pour le reste de leurs vies.
Si on se fie à la légende, le nouveau titre du spectacle, est né de la hâte avec laquelle le spectacle a été réécrit: lors d'une rencontre de production qui s'était ptolongé tard dans la nuit, un membre exaspéré et exténué de l'équipe de production s'est écrié "Et comment allons nous, bordel, juste finir ce premier acte?!" "À ce moment," repondit un des producteurs, en étant plus utile qu'il ne le croyait : "n'importe quoi est bon!!"
En 1988, une nouvelle version a été montée à Broadway. Le livret a été à nouveau modifié et d’autres chansons de Cole Porter ont été intégrées à cette comédie musicale (« It’s De-Lovely », « Friendship »…). Cette version interprétée notamment par Patti LuPone a été récompensée par des Tony Awards (meilleur « revival » et meilleure chorégraphie). Dès 1989, elle a été transférée à Londres (avec la participation d’Elaine Paige).

Producer Vinton Freedley came up with the idea for the show as he was living on a boat at the time. He left the US to avoid his debts and used a boat as his residence. Freedley picked Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse to write the book, and Ethel Merman to star in the production. The original plot was a comedy about a mad bomber running loose on an ocean liner. Freedley was not happy with the script and found it difficult to make changes when Bolton and Wodehouse sailed for Europe. In an odd turn of events, as rehearsals began, the passenger ship, the SS Morro Castle, sailing from Havana to New York on September 8, 1934, caught fire and burned. The disaster killed a total of 137 passengers and crew members before beaching herself near Asbury Park, New Jersey. This was the excuse that Freedley needed to completely revamp the show. He maintained that the tragedy made the plot of the show seem insensitve and that this would not work well with public opinion. As a result, the book was almost entirely recreated by the show's director, Howard Lindsay and press agent, Russell Crouse (who became lifelong writing partners as a result). They revised the script, finishing the last scene on the train to Boston, where the show was to open before hitting Broadway. The show opened on November 21, 1934, about two and a half months after the SS Morro Castle disaster.
There is a legend behind the name of the show and the title song. It is said that at a late night production meeting where the show was being reworked, one of the overly-tired production team members said in frustration "And just how in the hell are we going to end the first act?!" "At this point," responded one of the producers, "anything goes!!"
The show became a big hit and the confusion really begins. Two years later, the 1936 film version of Anything Goes hit the theatres and held little resemblance to the stage production. The book and score were dramaticaly changed with only two of the original songs included. Additional songs were included by Hoagy Carmichael and other composers.
18 years later in 1954, the television version changed the plot again and changed the songs again to include more of the original score than the movie version along with songs from other Cole Porter shows.
The second movie version was filmed in 1956 and the book was drastically changed once more with additional songs by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen. The second film named Anything Goes forced the first film version (1936) to be renamed Tops Is The Limit.
An Off-Broadway revival of Anything Goes opened on May 15, 1962 at the Orpheum Theatre. It starred Hal Linden as Billy Crocker and Eileen Rodgers as Reno Sweeney. The stage script was revised and incorporated several of the changes from the movie versions. The minor character named Erma was expanded and her name changed to Bonnie. This revival also added several songs from other Porter shows that came after the original production of Anything Goes. From the 1930 musical, The New Yorkers, came the song "Take Me Back to Manhattan," from the 1934 musical, Red Hot and Blue, came the song "It's De-Lovely," from the 1939 musical, DuBarry Was a Lady, came the song "Friendship," and from the 1929 musical, Paris, came the song "Let's Misbehave".
In October 19, 1987, a major revival of Anything Goes opened on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, with Patti Lupone in the role of Reno Sweeney and ran for 784 perfomances. The book was revised by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. This production opened in London at The Prince Edward Theatre the following year.

Billy Crocker — Protagonist. Assistant to Elisha, love-struck would-be suitor to Hope.
Reno Sweeney — An evangelist turned nightclub singer and an old friend of Billy's.
Hope Harcourt — An American debutante and the object of Billy's affection.
Moonface Martin — a second-rate gangster, "Public Enemy Number 13", soon to not be thought as a public enemy at all.
Sir Evelyn Oakleigh — Hope's wealthy and handsome English fiancé.
Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt — Hope's haughty and overbearing mother.
Bonnie / Erma (1987 revival) — Sidekick to Moonface.
Elisha J. Whitney — Ivy league Wall Street banker, Billy's boss.
Reno's Angels (Purity, Charity, Chastity and Virtue). (1934 original and 1962 revival / 2002 concert) - Reno's back up singers.
Ritz Quartette (1934 original) / Lady Fair Quartet (1987 revival)
Ching and Ling ("Luke" and "John" in the 1987 revival and 2002 concert) — Two Chinese 'Converts' and reformed gamblers who accompany Bishop Henry T. Dobson
Captain, Steward, Purser on the ship
The Right Reverend, Bishop Henry T. Dobson
Ships crew, Passengers, Reporters, Photographers and F.B.I. Agents
Shelly — Extra

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