Talk about expectation. After launching in Melbourne, the cast and crew ofAnything Goeshad only just arrived in Brisbane before the announcement was made that the show had been awarded three Helpmann Awards, including Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Alex Rathgeber.
It’s an auspicious trifecta for a musical that has been consistently popular since its premiere in 1934, and while such recognition is a tremendous boon for the cast (and bodes quite well for its audience), it also means the pressure is on to raise the sails on one of the world’s most iconic theatres.
“That’s exactly it,” Rathgeber agrees. “Once there’s an award, it’s almost like being handed a trophy of expectation. Especially coming to the Opera House, such an iconic venue, and doing a show that has such a history. It’s been around for over 80 years, and there have been previous productions in Australia. Plus performing alongside a woman who is virtually an icon in this country, Caroline O’Connor, who received an award for her role as well. It’s a bit to live up to, or at least to attempt to.”
Rathgeber plays Billy Crocker, a Wall Street broker who falls madly in love with a girl he meets in a taxi. After learning she is set to sail to England aboard a luxury liner, he stows away, thus establishing a cavalcade of outrageous characters and classic musical numbers. Not only does playing Crocker give him the chance to launch into these celebrated Cole Porter lyrics, but the role sees Rathgeber engage in a rather athletic performance.
“The role I’m playing is fairly physically demanding, both vocally and in terms of all the dancing. I spend most of the show, which is around two-and-a-half hours, just running around frantically. It’s a bit of a marathon, really, so I have to be careful how I spend my time outside of the show. I have to take care of my voice, rest it, but also keep fit and get in some kind of exercise routine, and then find a way of somehow having an ordinary life on top of all that.
“I like getting there every night and giving every ounce of energy that I can. There’s no phoning it in, or only giving what is sufficient. What’s tremendous about this cast is that we’ll get up there and give it all, and that’s what I mean when I say I have to really conserve my energy during the day. When we get in there, you need to just let fly. And the pace of it! Dean [Bryant] is directing in a way that is very quick, and I think that’s what makes it kick for today’s audience. The entire show is relentless, and I think that’s part of Andrew [Hallsworth, choreographer]’s signature style. Not to give the audience too much of a chance to breathe. To be that bit ahead of them, so the audience is really carried along by the story and music.”
Though there are many reasons why this story is still considered a classic, on close inspection there is an unusual pattern that seems to exist across many successful musicals, and that is the presence of the briny deep. Water features in so many productions, from Anything Goes to South Pacific, An Officer And A Gentleman, Anyone Can Whistle, and the list stretches on. Even The Phantom Of The Opera has a gondola. Rathgeber agrees we may have stumbled upon the secret to success.
“Floating vessels are a sure-fire success in a show,” he says. “If in doubt, stick them in a dinghy. But that’s the million dollar question, isn’t it? What makes a musical last? With this particular show, a lot of strength is in the music. They got the music so very right, it’s just brilliant. And over time there have been writers who have worked on the book more and more to make it more appropriate today. This interpretation of things really brings something old and classic to a 2015 mindset. I think they’re very clever at choreographing something that highlights that relevancy.”
In addition to the score, part of Anything Goes’ endurance is a throwback to classic comedy tropes. Keeping the humour fresh is paramount to maintaining the madcap pace of the production, and in this regard audiences are certain not to be disappointed.
“Just on the page you’ll find it very, very clever and funny,” Rathgeber says. “When I first sat down and read the script, well before I showed anyone else or started to workshop and interpret it, I remember laughing out loud. It’s a really funny show, but in the right hands, that humour becomes tenfold. I think this time around the general consensus has seen people show up just expecting a fun night out. You know, it’s an old Broadway classic and yes, it will probably live up to its name. But in this production, everyone seems genuinely surprised at how funny it is, with people like Caroline and Todd [McKenney] in this very silly Englishman role. It’s absolutely bonkers, and people are belly-laughing out there.”
Rathgeber suddenly laughs self-consciously.
“Oh God, I fear I’ve gone on too much about how funny it is! The expectation is going to be huge now! But people are going to find this amazing, I have absolutely no doubt.”
[Anything Goes photo by Brian Geach & Jeff Busby]
Anything GoesrunsSaturday September 5 – Saturday October 31 at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House.
