The Paper Mill Playhouse production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes opens Sept. 6 starring two-time Tony winner Chita Rivera. The play runs through Oct 15 at New Jersey's State Theatre.
As reported earlier, Anything Goes will be helmed by director and vocalist Lee Roy Reams, who directed Paper Mill's 42nd Street and An Evening with Jerry Herman (on Broadway as well). Reams has starred as Albin/ZaZa in La Cage aux Folles and was personally selected by Richard Rodgers to play Will Parker in the Lincoln Center production of Oklahoma!
Anything Goes star Chita Rivera has appeared in numerous musicals over her four decade-plus career. She starred in the musicals West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, Chicago, The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman. Rivera won Tony awards for her role in the last two. Anything Goes includes such classic Porter songs as the title tune, "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "You're the Top." A 1987 Broadway revival of the show featured Patti LuPone as Reno.
The remainder of the cast for Anything Goes features:
• Actors' Equity President Patrick Quinn (Lord Evelyn Oakleigh) was recently elected to the nation's top theatre union job has been seen on Broadway in Lend Me a Tenor, Oh! Coward, Encores!' Wonderful Town and Forbidden Broadway '84 and '92. • George Dvorsky (Billy Crocker) performed on Broadway in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Passion, Marilyn: An American Fable and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. His New York City Opera credits include Cinderella and Brigadoon as well as Paper Mill's My One and Only and Shenandoah.
• Stacey Logan (Hope Harcourt) appeared on Broadway in Candide, Beauty and the Beast, Crazy for You and Big. Logan's credits also include the Paper Mill/PBS Broadcast Crazy for You.
• Bruce Adler's (Moonface Martin) credits include the Broadway and Paper Mill productions of Crazy for You, in which he appeared as Bella Zangler. Adler was a Tony nominee for Those Were the Days and he performed in the 1979 revival of Oklahoma! as Ali Hakim.
The choreographer for Anything Goes is Michael Lichtefeld, who previously choreographed Paper Mill's Mame and Animal Crackers. His Broadway credits include The Secret Garden and the revival of Sweeney Todd. Tom Helm returns to the Paper Mill as musical director for this production of Anything Goes. His previous credits at New Jersey's State Theatre include The Student Prince, Crazy for You and Follies. Tickets range $37 - $60, with flexible subscription options available. The Paper Mill box office can be reached at (973) 376-4343.
-- By Murdoch McBride
