Theater Review: 'Anything Goes' by Shelton High School Drama Club

Review by Nancy Sasso Janis

The students that are part of the Shelton High School Drama Club present a stellar production of “Anything Goes” this weekend only at the Percy Kingsley Theatre on their Shelton campus.

“Anything Goes” is the classic musical with music and lyrics by the iconic Cole Porter and a new book written by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. The version used by the production team was adapted from the 1987 Broadway revival that was originally produced at Lincoln Center.

Katherine Sedlock and Fiona Bryson decided on this classic musical for their seventh spring musical at Shelton High School. “We’ve always had a passion for fostering a love of musical theater among young people and this beloved Cole Porter hit felt just right for our hardworking performers and technicians.”

The team describes the “de-lovely” musical as containing “music, dance, laughs and the age-old tale of boy meets girl and girl gets engaged to another man. To win her back, this boy stows away on an ocean liner: S.S. American–where his boss, his evangelist best friend, a few minor mobsters, and the engaged couple are passengers.”

Since the setting is 1934, the United States is just beginning to recover from the Great Depression. “During this time, there was a sense of coming out of the darkest of times into the daylight and a feeling of reassurance and optimism in looking ahead. In an age where our students are inundated with stories and images of negativity, we hope to inspire both cast and audience members to connect with our world today in a profound and meaningful way.”

Sedlock directs the large student cast and designed the marvelous choreography for the production numbers. The dancers carry out the challenging steps in total unison, which includes dazzling tap dancing for the title song that closes the first act. It is a joy to see a stage full of high school students moving as one.

Musical direction is by Bryson, who often works at Center Stage Theatre in Shelton. I always enjoy watching her conduct her musicians with wonderful energy and it was a treat to see her directing the orchestra on the third level above the stage. The musicians included Daniel Koch mastering the challenging score on keyboard, David Wilson on percussion 1, Leo Lavallee on trumpet and Robin Rockwell on reed 1.

Joe Sedlock has been the drama club’s advisor for an impressive 16 years.

Shelton High senior Kate McPadden glows in the plumb role of Reno Sweeney. McPadden received a Sondheim Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gertrude McFuzz in “Seussical” and I remembered her appearances in the Center Stage productions of “Catch Me If You Can,” “Xanadu,” and “Footloose.” Junior Ben Souza gives a wonderful performance as Billy Crocker. Souza appeared as Agent Dollar in Center Stage’s “Catch Me If You Can” and was nominated for a Best Actor Sonheim for both “Seussical” and “Rock of Ages.”

Senior Roberto De Santis, who was the Cat in the Hat in “Seussical,” has an excellent comic presence in the role of Moonface Martin. Junior Dimitri Mysirlidis shines in the role of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh and junior Olivia Jansen, who was a Bird Girl in “Seussical,” is lovely in the role of Hope Harcourt.

Maya Giampaolo just about steals the show in the supporting role of Erma Latour. The actress performs some fearless moves with the sailors during her second act “Buddie, Beware” and nails the comedic demands of her role. Giampaolo, a senior, was nominated for Best Actress at the Sondheim Awards in 2022 for her role as Jojo in “Seussical.”

Senior Jack Schafler, Mr. Mayor in “Seussical,” pulls off the role of Elisha J. Whitney and sophomore Riley Prescott makes the most of her role as Hope’s mother Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt. The canine role of Cheeky Harcourt was brought to delightful life by Pippa Kekacs-Cordes in her stage debut. The one-year-old puppy, who lives in Shelton, happily wagged her tail as she was passed between the actors.

Shout out to Reno’s backups, sophomore Mia Carey as Purity, Sarina Bialek as Chastity, Dance Captain Alexa Gencarelli, a senior, as Charity and junior Kristina Bratz as Virtue. Dillon Durante, a senior, gets to play both the captain and Fred, the bartender. Shelton High senior Lily Banks rocked a great white uniform as the ship’s purser; Banks heads to college next year to work towards becoming a high school English teacher.

The ensemble members, most of whom stepped up to play small roles, include Valeryia Adamenia, Taylor Arnette, senior Olivia Branco, junior Phoenix Brighindi, Edward Calderon, Emma Carrasco, Tessa Coffin, Joseph Cummings, Elena Gasbarro, Maya Giampaolo, Sienna Giampaolo, Laney Graham, Simrin Khan, Julia Kieley, Lila Kieley, Devin Mitola , Hannah Moccaie, Ryan Morrill, Erin Mulroy, Karma Nelson, Christiano Pappano, Brianna Pereira, Kennedy Renz, Murphy Riddle, Kayla Sanon, Julia Sutcliffe, Layla Viola, Lucia Wall and Sylvia Wulff.

I was blown away by the costume, wig and makeup design by the director, assisted by student Dillon Durante. There are navy and white ensembles for the more nautical scenes and all shiny black for the splashy “Public Enemy #1” (so that Reno’s costumes will be the only pop of color.) The female leads are dressed in stunning and sparkly evening wear and just about every performer sports a flattering wig. Along with the ambitious scenic design and prop management by Laura Marcinauskis and excellent lighting design by Chris Tiesler, this show is a feast for the eyes. Kudos to John Giampaolo who is credited as the “Port Hole Wrangler” on a job well done.

The Shelton High School Drama Club proudly presents "Anything Goes" March 14, 15 and 16. Tickets for $20 at www.showtix4u.com. There is plenty of parking available on the high school campus in Shelton.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the newspaper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the CCC Facebook page.