About the work
Anything Goes is a musical by Cole Porter (music and lyrics) with an original book by Guy Bolton, P. G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, and Russel Crouse, premiered on Broadway in 1934. It is regarded as one of the gems of the classic Broadway era and contains some of the most famous standards of the Great American Songbook.
Plot
Aboard an ocean liner from New York to England, the passengers become entangled in a turbulent game of love and mistaken identity. The young Billy Crocker has stowed away to win back the heiress Hope Harcourt, whom he loves and who is to marry another. The former evangelist and nightclub singer Reno Sweeney and the gangster-in-disguise "Moonface Martin" cause chaos with all manner of disguises and intrigues—until in the end all the couples happily find one another.
Cultural significance
Anything Goes is a treasure trove of Cole Porter songs, including I Get a Kick Out of You, You're the Top, and the title hit Anything Goes. With its sparkling wit, tap dancing, and elegant lightness, it embodies the glamour of the 1930s. Successfully revived and revised several times, it is among the most frequently performed classics of musical theatre.