Eastport South Manor theater students prepare for spring musical

Eastport South Manor High School theater students are ready to tap their way into the hearts of local audiences as they present the high-stepping musical “Anything Goes.”

The district’s spring musical opens in the high school auditorium today, Thursday, March 18, and runs through Sunday, March 21.

Theater Director Joseph Minutillo said he wanted to do a show that contrasted the emotional heaviness of last year’s production of Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables.”

“‘Anything Goes’ is just a feel-good show,” Mr. Minutillo said, noting that the show features a number of tap-dance routines. “When you see them tap dancing and watch everybody having a great time—even if you don’t know how to tap dance, you’ll want to go out and learn.”

Mr. Minutillo pointed out that although “Anything Goes” was first produced on Broadway in 1934, the show has remained a mainstay among community and school theater troupes for the past 76 years. With music and lyrics by Cole Porter, the book was a collaborative effort of Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, comedic authors of the time.

The farce centers on the madcap antics of a group of outrageous characters on board an ocean liner bound from New York to London. When “Anything Goes” was first written, the text concerned a shipwreck and its impact on some offbeat characters.

But before the show could go into rehearsal, a major sea disaster actually took place off the coast of New Jersey, in which 134 people died. Shipwrecks consequently became a highly sensitive subject, and the story had to be completely reworked to avoid offending audiences.

The musical introduced such Cole Porter classics as “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.”

“There aren’t many shows from the 1930s that have survived like ‘Anything Goes’ has,” Mr. Minutillo said. “I’ve had people say to me, ‘I don’t think I know any of the songs from the show,’ and the second they hear them, they go, ‘Oh, I know those songs.’ And the kids love it—they’re like fish to water, they’re just absolutely enjoying every second of it.”

Mr. Minutillo said he lost a great deal of theatrical talent with the graduating class of 2009, adding that very few seniors from this year’s class had any interest in auditioning for the show. Fortunately, a group of talented underclassmen stepped up to the plate to take part in the challenging production, in which roughly 40 performers tap dance on stage for the show’s famed finale.

Among those students are junior Kevin Spellman, 16, who portrays Billy, a stowaway who has fallen in love with heiress Hope Harcourt, played by junior Shannon Cunningham, 16. In an effort to woo Hope, Billy enlists the help of Public Enemy No. 13, Moonface Martin, portrayed by sophomore Max Fehr, 16.

As part of his efforts to avoid detection by the ship’s crew, Billy goes undercover as a variety of characters—including as an old woman. Kevin, who is a master of accents, said during a recent rehearsal that he was still working with the voice he would use for the old woman.

“There’s a number of ways I can go, like Robin Williams’s Mrs. Doubtfire,” he said, noting he has been performing in high school productions since his freshman year. “I always enjoy when it’s opening night and we realize that all the work that we’ve put in really means something. And when the audience really enjoys it, that’s when you know that what you’re doing paid off.”

The only senior starring in the show is Amy Woschnik, 17, who plays nightclub singer Reno Sweeney. Just prior to dress rehearsals last weekend, Amy, who has been dancing since the age of 3, strained her Achilles tendon.

Her injured ankle was wrapped as she rehearsed and will likely remain bandaged throughout the performances. Amy felt confident that she could manage all four performances with her injured leg.

“We’ve been wrapping my ankle and icing it and it should be good to go,” Amy said, noting that she has not been putting her full weight on her ankle during rehearsals. “I’m a trouper. I have to be.”

Mr. Minutillo said Amy has been participating in six-hour rehearsals after school and on weekends. The director admitted that he was not only worried about Amy’s ankle holding up, but also expressed concern about her and the other actor’s voices succumbing to either strain or illness.

“All the principals, I worry about them staying in good voice,” Mr. Minutillo said. “I pray they don’t get laryngitis or a cold, because we don’t have understudies. So they really do have to stay healthy, and they all know that.”

Many cast members were required to learn difficult tap-dance steps for the show. Choreographer Brett Frederick, who is also the school’s choral director, noted that most of the cast had never danced before, let alone tap danced.

Mr. Frederick said teaching tap-dance steps to inexperienced dancers was a “fun journey.” He noted that there were many humorous moments in which students mistook their left feet for their right.

“There’s always those little moments,” he chuckled. “But the thing with tap is that you always need to have your weight centered over the correct foot at the right time.

“People are always trying to figure out why they’re going off in the wrong direction, and you find yourself saying things like, ‘No, you have to stand on your right foot, no, your other right foot,’” he continued. “And they’re like, ‘I am standing on my right foot,’ as they’re standing on their left. It’s really about building synapses in their brains and getting them to think about what they’re doing.”

The result of Mr. Frederick’s efforts is nothing less than astounding, according to Mr. Minutillo, who performed in “Anything Goes” when he was in high school. He pointed out that 16-year-old Jesse Keitel, who plays the ship’s purser in the show, had no tap experience before participating in “Anything Goes.”

The young man, who is related to actor Harvey Keitel, now kicks out difficult tap steps with flawless precision. The young performer noted that he has never had formal dance training outside what he learned in high school productions.

“Tap is completely different from any other kind of dance I’ve done,” Jesse said, explaining that before the school rented tap shoes for performers, he learned to tap in sneakers.

“I think I want to pursue tapping,” he added, noting that he’s thinking about buying his own tap shoes, which retail for about $60. “I love it. It’s the sound, it’s like having percussion on your feet.”

Showtimes for “Anything Goes” are Thursday through Saturday, March 18-20, at 7 p.m., and on Sunday, March 21, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for senior citizens and students, and may be purchased at the high school or at esmonline.org.