Pasadena Playhouse has assembled a starry cast of stage and screen favorites to co-star with the previously announced Jinkx Monsoon as Reno Sweeney in its upcoming concert production of Anything Goes. The Cole Porter musical will be presented for three performances at the California theatre, running January 24-25, 2025.
That newly announced starry cast includes Emmy winner Wayne Brady (The Wiz) as Billy Crocker, Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee (Some Like It Hot) as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, RuPaul's Drag Race star BenDeLaCreme as Mrs. Harcourt, Harvey Guillén (What We Do in the Shadows) as Moonface Martin, Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty) as Eli Whitney, and Mike Millan (Escape to Margaritaville) as Purser. Additional casting is to be announced.
Annie Tippe is directing, with music direction by Darryl Archibald and choreography by Ayodele Casel.
The musical farce, set aboard an ocean liner traveling from New York to London, premiered on Broadway in 1934, introducing such standards as "You're the Top," "All Through the Night," "I Get a Kick out of You," and "Anything Goes." The musical has been frequently revised and revived over the years, most notably with a 1987 revival that featured a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman, adapted from the original by P.G. Wodehouse, Guy Bolton, Howard Lindsay, and Russel Crouse. That version will be used for the upcoming concert performances. The concerts are being presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark.
Tickets are available at PasadenaPlayhouse.org.