Anything Goes!
- Choreographer: Derek Deane
- Music: Cole Porter
- Costumes: Janet Marie Groom and Derek Deane
- Lighting: Barbara E. Thompson
- World Premiere: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, March 9, 2006
- PBT Performance Date: March 9-12, 2006; March 19-22, 2009;
Program Notes
Program Notes (from PBT playbill, 2009)
By Carol Meeder, former Director of Arts Education
The songs of Cole Porter bring forth a range of emotions and wistful nostalgia for choreographer Derek Deane, recalling an era in Hollywood of glamour, sophistication and mystery that is a distant memory. Cole Porter was part of that star-studded society of the thirties, forties, and fifties. Even though his life was not a happy fairy tale, and World War II wedged its way into the middle of the period, his songs are amazingly funny, witty, and romantic.
“Romance,” says Deane, “is the theme that comes through again and again.” It can be young and new, or strong and intense, or playfully fickle. There was no question that setting Anything Goes! in the period when the songs were written, guided by the romance and tongue-in-cheek lightness expressed by the lyrics, was the best way to pay tribute to that fascinating time. The spirit of those lyrics gives each number its personality. It is an ensemble piece from which individual couples emerge, each with its own élan and story to tell.
Influenced by the resurgence of ballroom dancing, both in the studios and on television,Anything Goes! gleans its style from that era. With sophisticated lighting and elegant chandeliers, the stage is set for fantasy. Some may watch and wrap themselves in the glamour and sophistication of a Hollywood they remember, while others can only imagine that magical past.
True to his roots, Deane employs classical technique melded with flowing chiffon and an elegance and finesse reminiscent of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers to create an evening of sheer joy and delight.