The musical ANYTHING GOES was originally written in 1934 as a vehicle for Cole Porter's great songs and for the acting, comedic, singing and dancing talents of such stage legends as Ethel Merman. It immediately set the standard for the American musical and is now considered one of the classics of the genre. Over the years, it has been one of the most revived musicals, with a definitive production being staged for every generation since the original.
The latest acclaimed revival began on Broadway in 2011, where it was honoured with three Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival and Best Choreography (Kathleen Marshall, who also directed). The touring version of that production has just opened to rave reviews at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, starring the luminous Rachel York as Reno Sweeney, and plays until August 25, 2013.Ross Petty, one of Canada's leading musical theatre actors and producers, just happened to have starred as the principal male lead in a touring production early in his career. It was 1980 and Petty played Billy Crocker opposite Ginger Rogers as Reno Sweeney. The cast also included another legendary performer: Sid Caesar, who played Moonface Martin (aka Public Enemy Number 13). Remembering the year Petty played in ANYTHING GOES, he attended the July 24th evening performance at the Princess of Wales Theatre with his wife Karen Kain, the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada.
Ross Petty as Billy Crocker, Ross Petty's mother - Violet, Ginger Rogers as Reno Sweeney, and Sid Caesar as Moonface Martin.
Ross Petty, Rachel York (Reno Sweeney), Karen Kain, Josh Franklin (Billy Crocker) & Fred Applegate (Moonface Martin).
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