Comedy on stage this week at Mainland Regional High School
LINWOOD — About three dozen cast members, another dozen behind the scenes and an orchestra are preparing to present a silly tale of love, deception and celebrity-chasing on the high seas in “Anything Goes” this week at Mainland Regional High School.
The spring musical, scheduled for 7 p.m. March 23 and 24 and 1 and 7 p.m. March 25, features “a deluxe candy box of songs by Cole Porter,” director Phil Pallitto said.
“Anything Goes” opened in 1934 and was seen as an entertaining diversion from a time when the nation was still reeling from the Great Depression.
“Theater became a means of escape. Musicals played strongly on absurdity, song and dance and knee-slapping jokes. Storylines were arranged to showcase popular songs,” Pallitto said. “The humor used in ‘Anything Goes’ was aimed specifically at an audience who had their fingers on the pulse of 1930s culture and politics. While today the show might seem dated, at the time, audiences would have reveled in the current references, which was the intention.”
The director said the audience must transport itself back nearly 100 years to get some of the comedy bits.
“Observe this production as a piece of history come to life. Theater is a time-capsule of our history, allowing us to see how much we’ve grown and how far we have come — or haven’t,” he said.
Despite its age, Pallitto said the musical is timeless and more relevant than ever.
“Anybody can hide behind a facade to be whatever or whomever they want to be,” he said. “‘Anything Goes’ is about our obsession with celebrity, disguises and how con men can fool even the smartest of us. The brilliance of this show is that it wipes away awkward reality … exactly what we need right now.”
Pallitto, a 2004 MRHS graduate who teaches in the Somers Point School District, said this is his first production as director at MRHS, noting the staff and students have “welcomed me as their leader with open arms. Their creativity, professionalism and humor are top-notch.” He also has directed at Gateway Playhouse.
“They have made this whole process just a great experience,” Pallitto said.
The story concerns antics aboard an ocean liner bound from New York to London. Stowaway Billy Crocker is in love with heiress Hope Harcourt, who is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and Public Enemy Number 13 “Moonface” Martin help Crocker in his quest to win Harcourt, and multiple marriages ensue.
Roselyn Driscoll, a junior with an infectious personality and winning smile, is taking part in her first starring role at MRHS — she has had leading roles at the Eagle Theatre in Hammonton and Gateway Playhouse in Somers Point — portraying Reno. She is double-cast with Kate Michel.
Pallitto said there are two casts, with leading roles swapping with bit players for other productions, but that each one brings its one unique energy to the musical.
“You’re watching two different shows on the same set,” he said.
Driscoll said her character is a “larger-than-life performer. Her journey throughout the show is trying to find love and head into the next stage of her life.”
She said Reno has been her dream role since seeing a production by the Margate Players several years ago.
“I saw some of my friends in that and seeing Reno on stage, I just felt like I wanted to be her,” Driscoll said. “When they announced it was going to be ‘Anything Goes,’ I was over the moon. I worked day and night trying to get this part.”
She said the character has a fun side she does not usually get to explore as a 17-year-old.
“She’s sort of flirty but she’s also compassionate, she cares about people. It’s so interesting to step into this woman who not only is a lot older than I am but she’s from a whole different time period. Just trying to learn the lingo of that era and understanding how she would act in that time was such an experience,” Driscoll said.
Pallitto said there also is a student-run crew in charge of lighting, sound, set building and other facets of the production.
The adults behind the scenes include technical director Alex Dannecker, choreographer Clare Eger, music director Derek Rohaly, vocal director Jen Camillo and costumer Julie Jackson.
Jackson said she has four student assistants in Caroline Garvey, Theresa Samame, Kaylee Santoro and Carly McCarthy.
Pallitto said the students have been rehearsing every day after school as well as Saturdays to prepare for the production.
“They have worked tirelessly over the past few months to give you a memorable night of laughter, singing and dancing,” Pallitto said.
Christine D’Alessandro, president of the Mainland Performing Arts Parents Organization, said there is a special alumni night during the Friday performance.
“The original cast members from the 2000 show are going to join the kids on stage for a final bow,” D’Alessandro said.
There will be a social event before that production aimed at rebuilding the alumni network.
MPAPO also is launching its Take a Seat initiative that night by honoring two pillars of the performing arts at the school — Judy Cline and Becky Sannino.
“Every year we are going to honor someone who has contributed to the performing arts at Mainland,” she said, adding that MPAPO is selling inscribed plates for the arms of the 500 seats in the auditorium — Linwood’s Schoppy’s Trophy will be making them — for $250 apiece as a fundraiser.
“That is bittersweet for me, as both Becky and Judy were my high school teachers and have inspired me to pursue a career in the arts,” Pallitto said.
Tickets for “Anything Goes” are $15 and can be purchased at showtix4u.com.
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
