Anything Goes

It was when Mr Harrison kicked off proceedings with his
brilliant pit band that the nerves vanished and excitement sunk in.  I remember every day, dancing backstage with
fellow cast and crew members and singing (well miming the words at least) to the numbers being played in the overture. The atmosphere within the cast was electric from day one.  Everyone got along very well in our
(relatively small) cast and that unity backstage was brought on stage.

I had the privilege of playing ‘Billy Crocker’ – the love-struck man who stowed away upon the S.S. America (on which the show is set) alongside Eliza Shea who played ‘Reno weeney’, an evangelist and nightclub singer.  This was the first musical that I was playing a major part in and consequently felt a bit nervous about how I’d fair alongside someone as experienced as Eliza. Indeed I remember in the first performance, when she came onstage for the first time, that she had created a new dimension to Reno, had lifted her
performance even higher than I’d expected. I felt a need therefore, to lift my game, to keep up with Eliza and, though I cannot claim to have produced as flawless a performance as she did, I feel that her motivation lifted my acting and the whole production.  There was a spark that set the whole musical alight and it kept on roaring throughout the remaining shows.

Another memory that sticks in my mind is the ‘pre-show’ warm up.  Led by Kayla Cohen (who played Erma), I remember us singing ‘I like the roses, I like the daffodils’ before Tuesday’s performance.  If it didn’t ‘technically’ warm us up, it did wonders in calming down the pre-show
nerves.  It was with great joy that we sang the song in rounds and then in harmony, readying our voices for the big
numbers in the show that were fast approaching.

The set was fantastic. Built by Joe Oliver and Simon Cummin, it had two floors with a pair of staircases onstage and backstage, two bedrooms, a jail and a proper deck.  It was brilliant using the set once it was built.  Though the stairs were hard to manoeuvre to begin with, once we got used to them, the set made an immense difference to the rehearsals, bringing the show to life.  In particular, I remember watching a rehearsal of ‘Friendship’, a duet between Reno (Eliza Shea) and Moonface Martin
(Allan Ross).  It was the first time they were rehearing the song with the set finished and I remember them instinctively
running up the stairs to the ‘top deck’ for the final verse of the song.  This was just one of the many songs that were
enhanced once the set was built and highlights just how brilliant the set for the show was.

The show profited from many different things, the set, the
crew, and the directors.  Altogether, under dramatic direction of Mr Biltcliffe, I believe we managed to produce a
great show with the success highlighted by the approval of theatres toughest critics, the CLS students.  The Wednesday
production was a huge rave, Ivo Almond in particular reaping in the laughter for his hilarious portrayal of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh.  With the students’ approval, the cast and
crew moved confidently into the final night, everyone having built on their character or role in one way or the other.

I had the most amazing time being part of this ‘Anything
Goes’ production and in particular enjoyed the bonds that I built with the rest of the cast and crew.  We started as a
group of individuals, but by the start of the first show, we were one production.

Joel Fisher (who starred as Billy Crocker) December 2010