anything goes

... a musical by Cole Porter

Anything Goes was written and set in 1934 as America was making a recovery from the great depression. The show is bright and snappy and reflects this new optimism.

1934 also means Art Deco, for me a particularly attractive period, and one which encourages an interesting and exciting visual design.

The script calls for theatrical tricks like "transformations" so director Robert Jarman and I have cooked up some images to evoke the occasional "ooh!" from the audience.

Other shows with Robert:
St Valentine's Peak

and with the same production team:
Guys and Dolls ,
Sweet Charity

Anything Goes has a number of scenes which, because of the script's requirements, meant a fairly literal representation of each scene - a barroom looks like a bar and requires little abstract mental interpretation. The same for the ship's ballroom and cabins and so on.

The action nearly always returns to the setting of the ship's aft deck (picture at upper left) and this allows for two sweeping staircases from the forward part of the vessel.

These staircases are actually in pieces and on wheels (middle left) and are used to form many of the other settings in the show.

The other main piece to form different locations is what I call the "trapezoid" (lower left). It fits into the up stage centre of the deck set, is on wheels and can be rotated. During interval it is fitted with prison bars.

act 1 scene 1

A smoky Manhattan bar. The bar features a large deco leadlight window and the whole set transforms, before the audience, into ...

act 1 scenes 2, 3, 5, 7 & 8
act 2 scenes 3 & 5

... the aft deck of an ocean liner. The "home" position of the set pieces.
    The up stage centre part of the ship (the trapezoid) trucks forward as flats fly in to form ...

act 1 scene 4

... two cabins with a corridor between them.
    One cabin is probably second class and the other third class. (We see both better and much worse accommodation later in the show)
    The trapezoid returns to the deck postion until the next change to ...

act 1 scene 6

... an extraordinarily lavish stateroom - the ship's first class.
    The stairs move to form walls, a double bed rolls downstage and the peacock tail bedhead flies in and opens into a fan as it touches the floor.
    At the conclusion of the scene, the set returns to the home position, which is also the setting as the curtains falls for interval.

act 2 scenes 2 & 4

... the ship's brig (or jail, or gaol, if you prefer), the "much worse" accommodation referred to earlier.
    The set returns to the deck position, back to the brig, and back to the deck where finally, the curtain falls.