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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Modern CdA sets sail for ‘Anything Goes’

When it comes to frothy and fun musical comedies, “Anything Goes” is among the best.

This 1934 Broadway chestnut, set aboard a ship sailing for England, features classic songs by Cole Porter: the title track, “You’d Be So Easy to Love,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “It’s De-Lovely,” the list goes on.

Brooke Kiener, who is directing “Anything Goes” at the Modern Theater Coeur d’Alene, was attracted to the show because it’s fun and it offers a bit of everything.

“I love this show because it has just about every comic gag in the book packed into one musical,” she said. “There are disguises and mistaken identities, there are puns and rim shots, running gags. As a director if you love comedy and you love farce, this show has everything.”

The story is a classic screwball comedy that centers on a boy, Billy (Brendan Brady), who meets an American heiress, Hope (Caitlin McLennan), as she’s about to set sail to England with her mother (Suzie Griffitts Ratelle) and stuffy fiance, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Dan Baumer). Billy stows away and with the help of evangelist-turned-nightclub singer (yes, that’s a thing) Reno Sweeney (Abbey Crawford), aims to woo Hope. Along the way they meet a low-level gangster, Moonface Martin (Jeremy Whittington) – aka Public Enemy 13 – and his girlfriend (Kayla Mueller).

Crawford makes a wonderful Reno Sweeney, Kiener said. “She was joking that she’s so similar to the character and she needs to keep finding new ways they’re different.”

Brady, as Billy, is a familiar face at the Modern Coeur d’Alene, with roles in “Les Miserables,” “Assassins” and “Rock of Ages,” among many others. “Everybody loves Brendan,” Kiener said.

Another delightful performance comes from Whittington as Moonface Martin. “He nails the role. It’s kind of a goofball gangster roll, and he’s perfect in it.”

“Anything Goes” is a big show with several large-scale tap routines. The Modern Coeur d’Alene has gotten quite good in recent years of putting big shows like “Les Mis” and “Rent” on its small stage. They’re employing all of their tricks to make “Anything Goes” stay afloat.

“When we first got started, George (Green, the Modern’s executive director) was like, ‘You can’t put more than 12 people on that stage at the same time.’ And I’m like, ‘But there are scenes where the whole cast is supposed to tap dance,’ ” she said. “We pack ’em in tight like sardines, then keep the big dance numbers moving so that not everyone is dancing all the time.”