On February 5, 6, and 7, Mamaroneck students and staff brought Anything Goes, a vibrant, comical musical, to life on our stage. Anything Goes follows the stories of Reno Sweeney, played by Ashley Cosiver (‘26), Billy Crocker, played by Chris Gilder (‘26), Hope Harcourt, played by Anna Cukier (‘28), and Evelyn Oakleigh, played by Samson Solomon (‘27). It is a tangled love story with a gripping plot, full of both laughter and sweet moments. 

Anything Goes takes place aboard the S.S. American in the 1930s, an ocean liner travelling from New York to London. The musical follows Billy as he sneaks onto the ship where Reno, Hope, and Evelyn are travelling, and tries to win Hope’s heart. 

Elias Rivera (‘28) played Moonface Martin, a public enemy who was on the S.S. American and helps Billy charm Hope. While Rivera was surprised to get his role, he thoroughly enjoyed playing Moonface, commenting that it was enjoyable to “experiment with different movements, mannerisms, and expressions.” Rivera noted that his favorite part of the show is the song “Byron in Me” because “it shows off the comedy that this show is known for.” 

Cosiver noted that the cast did an amazing job making the difficult show come together, explaining that “throughout the rehearsal process everyone starts to learn and grow.” Cosiver said that it was “bittersweet” to do Anything Goes as her last show at MHS, and had a lot of fun soaking up “every moment” she had “left with [her] peers.”

The  director behind it all, Ms. Parsley, led the musical team through the entire rehearsal process. She explained that “Anything Goes is considered to be a Golden Age musical, and our previous productions were more modern.” She noted that this show was more challenging as “many of the students didn’t know how to tap dance prior to working on this show. They had to learn a completely new style while singing.” Ms. Parsley’s co-director, Zack Autieri, explained that “one of the biggest challenges this year was the stylistic difference of Anything Goes—especially musically.”

Bringing the show all together was the pit orchestra. For Anything Goes, the pit played Cole Porter’s classic tunes from his score inspired from P.G. Wodehouse and Guy Bolton’s book. Porter is known for his witty lyrics and sophisticated jazz harmonies shown in iconic songs like You’re the Top  and I Get a Kick Out of You. The Anything Goes score is fast paced and upbeat bouncing off the comedy on stage. When interviewed, Mrs. Mullen, the pit conductor, discussed this, noting the importance of having a deep understanding of the music in order to manage the tempo and the style. 

 Bassist Gabrielle Wittick (‘28) discussed the uniqueness of playing in a pit orchestra, explaining that in the pit “you have to make sure the music matches the characters and their singing and dancing.” The orchestra brings the music to life, heighting the emotional intent of the actors. Mrs. Mullen also noted that “everything comes down to knowing the show backwards and forwards and understanding perfect timing of transitions, tempos and cues.”

Wittick noted that her favorite song was “Byron in Me” because of its interesting musical elements. The song is a hit with vivacious tango rhythms and is a momentary step back from the jazz feel and adopting a more Carmen-like style. Victoria Torres (‘29), who plays trumpet, said she loved playing the catchy show tunes and the big dance numbers but the “small funny scenes and quips” also added so much to the show. 

Wittick explained how this is one of her favorite parts of the year and that “getting to play with other people who love music and playing along with a cast is a ton of fun.”  Torres echoed this, saying she “loved being in the pit because it just feels so amazing and powerful playing with these other talented people.” 

Everyone who played a role in putting the musical together is extremely proud of the production, Mrs. Mullen remarked  that “there are many sections in the music where we’ve developed some inside jokes. Those are the special and favorite moments, for me—seeing where it all finally comes together after months of rehearsal and seeing the students feel proud of themselves and happy.” Due to the commitment of the cast and ensemble, Anything Goes was a wonderful performance!