A MUSICAL: “Anything Goes” is a true community production

Audiences will have three opportunities in early April to see a musical depicting romantic complications aboard a luxury ocean liner sailing from New York to London, set to the songs of Cole Porter. “Anything Goes” is presented by the New Mexico Tech C.L.A.S.S. (Communication, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences) Department and the Socorro Community Theater with support from the New Mexico Tech Performing Arts Series (NMTPAS) and Macey Center. Performances will be held the weekend of April 4 to 6, 2025, beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, and a matinee will be held on Sunday, April 6, at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for seniors age 65 and older, $8 for youth under age 18, and free of charge for NMT students who show a Tech ID. Ticket information and a full schedule of NMT Performing Arts Series  2024-2025 events is available online at: nmt.edu/pas.

The storyline of “Anything Goes” involves a Wall Street broker named Billy Crocker, who stows away to pursue his love interest, the wealthy heiress Hope Harcourt, who is already engaged to the British Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. With the help of nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and a disguised gangster “Moonface” Martin, Billy tries to win Hope’s heart through a series of comical schemes and disguises, ultimately leading to a chaotic and joyful resolution where love conquers all.

Warren Marts is the play’s director and Dr. Eileen Comstock is serving as the production’s music coordinator. (Full cast, crew and orchestra is listed below).

Dr. Steve Simpson, NMT dean of Arts and Sciences and the show’s producer, said this is the third time “Anything Goes” has been staged at New Mexico Tech. The first was around 1979 before the Macey Center was built. It was staged in the old “Tin Can,” the previous performing space. Among the cast were the late Joanne Ford and Caroline Ford Richards, wife and daughter of then-President Kenneth Ford. The second time was in the late ‘70s. It was directed by the late Bob Cormack, former faculty member in the Psychology Department. Dave Raymond, emeritus professor of physics, played Lord Evelyn Oakley, and said that Bob Cormack “Always made it fun and got the best out of the cast!”

Dr. Simpson said staging “Anything Goes” has truly been delightful for the cast and crew.

“‘Anything Goes’ is an oldie but goodie,” he said. “It’s very different from our last couple of musicals (“Addams Family” in 2024 and “Little Shop of Horrors” in 2023), but the Tech students and Socorro community have really made it their own. Naturally, it is also a fun challenge in other ways — it involves more dancing than any of our other recent shows, and it involves building a huge, multi-tier oceanliner smack dab in the middle of the Macey Center stage, which is no cakewalk.”

Dr. Simpson said audiences will love the show’s humorous tone.

“‘Anything Goes’ is a very funny production,” he said. “However, I think it takes the show to a whole new level to see people you know from your Calculus class or from around town performing these really wacky, beloved roles.”

Dr. Simpson said the collaboration between the university and the community theater is evident in the staging of “Anything Goes.”

“I am always impressed with how well students and townies interact in these productions,” he said. “It truly takes a village to make these shows work.”

Dr. Simpson along with NMTPAS staffers Ronna Kalish and Dana Chavez-Baca received a $5,000 grant from the New Mexico Economic Development Department, Creative Industries Division to support this show and a series of workshops on stage production and entertainment technology, called “All Hands on Deck” (in keeping with the nautical theme). They hope to pull in a lot of volunteers from town and campus to help with the crew. They also received support from many other departments on campus, including Student Life and Finance and Administration; plus additional support from the Betty Clark Platinum Memorial Endowment and Cubish Catering.

CAST

Reno Sweeney – Valerie Thomas

Hope Harcourt – Keilahna McFall

Lord Evelyn Oakleigh – Jay Blanchard

Billy Crocker – Dillon Dong

Moonface Martin – Jackson “Jake” Orr

Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt – Beau Chrismer

Elisha Whitney – David Cox

Erma Latour – Amy Kimball

Ship’s Captain – Ngoc Bui

Ship’s Purser – Steven Cox

Purity (Angel #1) – Bailey Rippy

Chastity (Angel #2)- Faith Valdez

Charity (Angel #3) – Heather Kovach

Virtue (Angel #4) – Madeleine Stamp

Bishop Henry T. Dobson – Thaddeus Sonnenfeld

Spit – Jalethzie Peña

Dippy – Jay Peters

Fred – Clint Richardson

Reporter – Taffeta Elliott

Photographer – Grace Kim

FBI Agents – Frederick Beckmann, Sara Demorest

Young Swell – Aick Beckstead

Old Lady – Vicki Kelsey

Sailors – Samuel Galbraith, Luke Venturina, Sara Demorest

Passengers – Akram Mostafanejad, Grace Kim, Taffeta Elliott, Rholling Bentil, Basil Hansen, Kellen Demorest, Anisa Behnam Pour, Anastasia Hatch

PRODUCTION TEAM

Warren Marts – Director

Steve Simpson – Producer

Eileen Comstock – Assistant Director and Music Coordinator

Eric Sewell – Music Director

Lloyd Tozier – Set Design and Construction

Sophie Bauer – Props Master

Olivia Boatman – Stage Manager

Jenny Cyphers – Macey Technical Director

Dana Chavez – PAS Director/Advertising & Box Office

Kristen Valero – PAS Graphic Designer

Andrea McCullough – Choreographer

Bailey Rippy – Dance Captain

Ronna Kalish – PAS Community Engagement Manager/Cheer Leader & Facilitator

Chad Sheer – Sound Consultant

ORCHESTRA:

Benjamin Olmstead – Flexbo Part A Trumpet

Paul Demorest – Flexbo Part B Alto Sax & Clarinet

Eileen Comstock – Flexbo Part C Tenor Sax & Clarinet

Sarah Stanley – Flexbo Part D Trombone

Dave  Thomas – Guitar

Jim Ruff – Bass Guitar

Jack Hill – Piano

Jacob Nikolai – Drums

James Khor – Auxiliary Percussion

Eric Sewell – Music Director