When “Anything Goes” opened on Broadway in 1934, America was in the throes of a difficult time. The stock market collapse ruined many, bank panic closures destroyed savings, and dust storms ravaged the middle-American states, creating huge migrations and farm foreclosures. Almost a quarter of the population were without jobs, and Hitler’s ascension led to the rise of Nazi Germany.
It’s easy to wonder why anyone would produce a tap-happy musical comedy like “Anything Goes” in the midst of so much misery. I believe producers put the show on stage for the same reason that Chicago’s Porchlight Music Theatre chose to kick off its 29th season by running the 90th anniversary production of Cole Porter’s enchanting show: Times now are hard with prices rising, crime increasing, and a threat of a world war on the horizon.
