Students erupted from their seats at Gathering on Feb. 20, as junior Alex Stamos, playing Billy Crocker, leaned in for a romantic kiss shared with senior Izzy Schafer, playing Hope Harcourt, during the preview of the Upper School musical, “Anything Goes.”
The show made its official debut in the Wrigley Theater on Feb. 25—running through Feb. 27—following an invited dress rehearsal on Feb. 24. The musical, set in the 1930s on the S.S. American steamboat traveling from New York to London, follows the story of Billy, who attempts to woo Hope on their journey across the Atlantic.
As Billy illegally stows away on the ship, the duo of Reno Sweeney and gangster Moonface Martin—played by junior Stella Tate Ricciardi-Fitzpatrick and senior Miles Stagman, respectively—help him in his mission. Together, they concoct numerous plans to assist Billy in winning Hope back from her current fiancé, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, portrayed by junior Ashym Patel.
Students and faculty highly anticipated the musical. “People love musicals,” Director and Upper School theater teacher Frances Limoncelli said. “The energy of the audience feeds the actors. It becomes this energy feedback loop. You don’t always get that with plays.”
Not only did students love “Anything Goes” for the energy, but the production stood out since musicals are only organized at Latin every two years. “We do a lot more straight theater, so it's been very fun getting to work with everyone and getting to do a lot more dancing and singing,” Izzy said. “I also really love straight theater, but there's something very fulfilling about a musical. You put in so much effort into it, and it's just a lot of fun.”
However, the rarity of musicals complicates the casting process. “If we did a musical every year, I’d have more familiarity with who they are as performers,” Ms. Limoncelli said. “Since I wasn’t here two years ago for the last musical, a lot more rides on the audition than on past performances.”
This particular production did not come to life on its own; many actors, stage crew members, and Visual and Performing Arts Department teachers were involved in the making of “Anything Goes,” starting with auditions in October.
After auditions were finished and roles were assigned, rehearsals began quickly and became a major time commitment for the cast. Three-hour rehearsals were scheduled every day after school since November, with some four-hour rehearsals in the weeks leading up to the show.
Starting in mid-fall, the cast had plenty of time to embody their characters, even forming rituals to help them prepare for their roles. “I put on red lipstick—it's one of those things where if I’m not wearing red lipstick, I don’t feel like I’m in character,” Stella Tate said.
The costumes also played a major role in encapsulating their characters. “There are so many [different costumes] that fit the separate scenes, and kind of capture their characters even more,” junior Serena Ayaydin said. “You could just do basic costumes, and you can still sort of pull it off, but you need a really good costume to kind of sell the character.”
The long hours helped the cast, stage managers, and crew to form a tight-knit community.
“We need to make everyone feel welcome, make everyone feel good, and create a positive environment,” Alex said. “Honestly, the reason we’re here today is because we all came together around that communal goal.”
In their rehearsals, the cast learned choreography, memorized lines, and prepared for the show.
“It's been a lot of work because I'm here until 6:30 every day, and I put in over a hundred hours into the show,” Stella Tate said. “But I've been having the time of my life. I would never want to spend 100 hours doing anything more than this.”
Some students even went to the extent of finding new ways to communicate to save their voices. “I took vocal rest for three days—didn’t talk at school at all. I even communicated using a whiteboard,” Alex said. “But you know what? It’s so much fun that I honestly didn’t care.”
The shared commitment to the production helped strengthen friendships among the actors and crew. As the show approached its final performances, the moments leading up to closing night became especially bittersweet for seniors who had been working together throughout high school.
“It's been really emotional, because I’ve been getting ready for this to be my last year [as] a part of the theater program at Latin,” Izzy said. “[Seniors] Kelsey [Riordan] and Marc [Abrahams] and I have been doing theater together since freshman year, so it's crazy that this is our last show together.”
While the long rehearsals helped strengthen the cast’s sense of community, the demanding schedule and complexity of the production also brought significant challenges.
“For me, the biggest challenge is all of the moving pieces,” Ms. Limoncelli said. “It was actually a deceptively complicated and ambitious show. Especially, teaching a lot of non-dancers how to dance—that was a huge challenge, but they accepted it, and I think it really paid off.”
The students felt this challenge throughout the rehearsal process as well. “Ms. Limoncelli always says that if we take accountability for our own mistakes, it helps the whole show move forward,” Alex said. “So at the end of every rehearsal, I check myself—‘Okay, I did this wrong, I did that wrong. How do I fix it?’ Leading by example is the best way to support the ensemble.”
As rehearsals progressed, the cast moved from learning choreography and blocking to performing full run-throughs with the orchestra.
“The Sitzerobe, where we sing all the songs with the band and orchestra for the first time, is one of those magical moments where you're like, ‘Oh my God, this show is actually coming together, and we're not gonna crash and burn,’” Stella Tate said.
Yet the passion through rehearsals didn't override the pressure for the actors, especially for the leads. “Being in charge comes with a lot of weight on your shoulders,” Alex said. “There are lines to memorize, cues to hit, and it’s all amplified by performing in front of a big audience.”
That moment of performing in front of a big audience came during the preview at Gathering, when the audience finally saw a glimpse of the final product, marking an iconic fan-favorite preview for years to come. “I’ll definitely remember everyone’s reaction at the preview when I kissed Izzy—that was by far the best moment,” Alex said. “But I’ll also remember just having a great time overall and the friendships I made along the way.”
For the majority of the cast, these friendships go beyond a simple acquaintanceship. “There's a lot of joy and genuine fun that goes into making this show, which I really hope the audience [saw] when they [watched] it,” Izzy said.
The audience recognized the hard work put in by each individual to create an impressive performance. “This is the best musical I’ve ever seen,” senior Ariel Goodman said. “The [performers] are doing such an amazing job, and they have so much talent.”
Junior Martin Testai agreed, supporting individual friends and the ensemble as a whole. “[Senior] Andrew [Legendre] is doing an amazing job and is making me laugh,” he said. “The entire cast has actually been doing a great job for both the serious scenes and the funny scenes. You can tell they put in a lot of work for this, and it paid off.”
As the musical closed, it stayed with the audience, who found themselves humming the songs hours later and texting their peers congratulations on an excellent performance. The actors felt a bittersweet sense of accomplishment as they bowed for the final time.
“I hope they remember the endorphin rush—hearing the audience laugh, hearing the applause,” Ms. Limoncelli said. “And I hope they remember the relationships they built, especially the backstage moments. That’s what I hope stays with them.”
