Some time in

the early 1930s, Vinton Freedly found himself hiding from creditors on

a fishing boat in the Gulf of Panama.

While avoiding

his debt, Freedly came up with a great idea for a musical. It would deal

with a stowaway on an ocean liner that was facing the threat of a possible

shipwreck.

Freedly eventually

returned to New York city and paid off his debts. He then began assembling

his dream team and writing the show. His recruits included noted song

writer Cole Porter, noted author and playwright P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton

and Ethel Merman. Shortly after the team began working on the musical,

the SS Morro Castle went down off the coast of New Jersey and the show

desperately needed a rewrite.

Now called

"Anything Goes," the musical focused on nightclub singer Reno

Sweeney, her friend Billy Crocker, Crocker's debutante love, Hope Harcourt,

Moon Faced Mooney and Public Enemy Number One, who is stowing away to

avoid the FBI.

The Sandy Creek

Fine Arts Department will present "Anything Goes" March 22,

23 and 24.

The show opened

at the Alvin Theatre in New York in 1934. It became the fourth longest

running musical of the 1930s and an instant classic. The musical features

a number of famous Cole Porter songs, including "I Get A Kick Out

Of You," "You're The Top," "It's Delovely," "Let's

Misbehave," and more.

The musical

focuses on unrequited love and mistaken identities. Billy Crocker stows

away in order to pursue a romance with Hope Harcourt. However, Mrs. Harcourt,

Hope's mother, prefers Sir Evelyn Oakleigh for a son-in-law. Billy is

assisted by Moonface Martin, a hapless gangster disguised as a missionary,

and his frivolous sidekick, Bonnie Latour. Bonnie dreams of becoming an

Angel a backup singer for Billy's friend Reno Sweeney, the infamous singer

and part-time evangelist.

The shipboard

romances don't go well at first. Billy persuades Reno to draw Sir Evelyn

away from Hope, but his scheme has unexpected repercussions. When Billy

is mistaken for Snake Eyes Johnson, Public Enemy Number One, he becomes

the toast of the ship, but Hope is disappointed in his behavior. She decides

to marry Sir Evelyn, despite his blossoming romance with Reno. Eventually,

everything straightens out, and the ship prepares to return to New York

with a full load of newlyweds.

Choreographer

Jonsie Pollock has designed outstanding dance numbers for the score, including

an unaccompanied tap section. Directors Millie Turek and Kathy Andersen,

assisted by Missy Burns, have spent weeks working with the cast to create

a production that is full of witty comedy and wonderful music.

Cast members

include Giovanti Bonner as Elisha Whitney, Billy's cranky Wall Street

boss, Josh Lynch as the bustling Purser, Joey Ellington as the charmingly

naive Sir Evelyn, and Leia Berry as snobbish Mrs. Harcourt. Kim Davis

and Heather Smith share the role of Hope Harcourt, and Cora Hicks and

Jennifer Trail share the part of Reno Sweeney. The Angels Purity, Chastity

and Virtue, are played by Theresa Suitt, Amber Gardner and Jennifer Brickle.

Terence Hood

is featured as Billy Crocker, a "broken-down broker." Kim Brusch

and Bethany Burrell team up to play Bonnie Latour against Andrew Clough

and Josh Lewis as Moonface Martin. Various characters, including the ship's

captain, two Chinese converts, a missionary bishop, FBI agents, a reporter,

a cameraman, a stewardess and, of course, the ship's passengers, are played

Carroll, Nick Dunn, Hanna Johnson, Carly Marrs, Tracy McBurnett, Jennifer

Merrill, Jessica Merrill, Delmar Powell and Ginny Rosser.

For information

phone Sandy Creek at 770-969-2840, extension 259. Tickets are available

at the door for $6. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30.

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