Anything Goes

July 28 - August 6, Naperville Central HS Auditorium

Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
Original Book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton
and Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
New Book by Timothy Crouse & John Weidman

Funded in part by a generous donation from former board members and longtime friends of Summer Place, Craig & Janice Mahlstedt.

A Cole Porter classic and a favorite of musical theatre enthusiasts everywhere, Anything Goes is a love story, a crime drama, and a wild comedy all in one.

The story is one you’ve undoubtedly heard before: Billy loves Hope, Hope is engaged to Evelyn, Evelyn is enraptured by Reno, and all of them are somehow mixed up with small-time crime duo “Moonface” Martin and Erma. Did we mention that this all unfolds in the tiny confines of a ship in the middle of the Atlantic?

This uproarious comedy of errors features big dance numbers, flashy costumes, a colorful set, and toe-tapping musical favorites like “You’re the Top,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and of course, “Anything Goes.”

The story was written by P.G. Wodehouse and first starred Ethel Merman in the role of Reno, as well as comedy team William Gaxton and Victor Moore. Since its 1934 debut, the plot has been reworked several times until the writing team was able to finesse it down to the tightly woven set of hijinks that you will see in our production. Interestingly, an original plot device included a bomb threat and a shipwreck aboard the SS American, the fictional vessel where the story unfolds, but the devastating fire that sank the real SS Morro Castle just before the show’s opening prompted a hasty rewrite. However, another source admits that this tragic event may have been a coverup for the real reason: that the script was “a hopeless mess.” Numerous revivals and revamps since the show’s opening have ensured that Anything Goes will continue to delight audiences for years to come.

Directed by Maria Welser

Vocal Director: Emma Gingold

Music Director: Tim Janiszewski

Stage Manager: Lindsay Latanski

Assistant Stage Manager: Amanda Swanson

Scenic Designer/Technical Director: Tina Goings

Costumes: Sarah Eaves

Lighting Designer: Josh Wroblewski

Sound Designer: Gabe Mathis

Production Assistant: Garrett Wells

Producer: Emma Gingold

Cast

Emily Abella
Ensemble

Emily Abella is a soon to be freshman at Illinois State University. When not at rehearsals she can be found cooking Pinterest recipes, biking with her little sister, or working as a restaurant hostess. This is her first Summer Place Theatre production and is excited for the show!

Lisa Adams
Ensemble

Lisa most recently performed in Wit and radio drama, A Christmas Carol, and served as ASM for Billy Elliot and Deck Chief for Peter and the Starcatcher at LCT in Wisconsin. She spent the last two summers performing original works with Theatre du Mississippi in the Bunnell House, Homer, MN.

Jenni Barber
Dance Captain/Ensemble

This is Jenni's second show with Summerplace Theatre. She performed a few featured songs for last year's SPT 50 Year Anniversary Show. In Arkansas she performed in Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), Anything Goes (Ensemble), and a variety of other shows.

Sara Blankestyn
Ensemble/Female Passenger #2

Sara is thrilled to be back at Summer Place Theatre after being part of Jesus Christ Superstar last year! This Spring, she had fun playing Miss Lark in Mary Poppins with the St. Louise Players. Adding to an already fun year, Sara recently joined the team at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, as a Group Sales Manager. She would like to thank everyone for coming and enjoy the show!

Tina Boffa
Charity

Tina is so excited to be in her second production at summerplace theatre! She was seen in Jesus Christ Superstar last summer and is glad to be back! She would like to thank her parents for supporting her theatre endeavors even when she sings (screams) showtunes in the shower at 3am. "Thanks mom and dad for not kicking me out before college." 

Kathleen Regina Boyle
Fred/Old Lady

I was born on a sultry August afternoon. The neighbors had convened to have a festive, albeit routine, Chicago backyard bbq. News of my impending arrival hit them suddenly, just like the wave of heat had gripped the city in its sweaty meaty palm. Faintly, Bruce Springsteen's Thunder Road, could be heard in the background as I sprung forth into my newest incarnation. My dad took one look at my swollen, exhausted countenance, and remarked to my mother. "Finally, the son I have always wanted."

Isabella Chinnici
Ensemble

Isabella is so excited to be a part of her first show with Summerplace! She greatly enjoyed the experience and is thankful for everyone who has made this production a memorable part of her summer. Thank you to her family and friends for coming and supporting her.

Megan Conrad
Virtue

Megan Conrad is ecstatic to be involved in another Summerplace Production. She was recently in, "Father of the Bride," as Peggy with us this season, so she's had a packed summer full of theatre. She would like to thank her Diet Coke and family for pushing her through this Summer. She will be Majoring in Theatre at Aurora university, starting Next year! Good luck Megan! 

Julia Ehlert
Ensemble/Photographer

Julia is loving being back in a musical for the first time since she left for college! This fall she'll be a sophomore at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and she can't wait to begin classes as a new Media Arts + Practice major. Previous theatre credits include Curtains, Seussical, In the Heights, and Hairspray at Waubonsie Valley High School. She loves to sing and beatbox in her USC a cappella group, UnderSCore, and would like to thank the directors, cast, and crew of Anything Goes for making the production a wonderful experience!

Erin Feldman
Reno Sweeney

Erin is so excited to be playing one of her absolute dream roles! She is going to be a sophomore MT major at Webster University. She would like to thank her parents, friends, teachers, and of course the talented cast and crew for making this such a great experience.

Don Gingold
Elisha Whitney

Don is the new President of Summer Place, but with his many responsibilities we still can't keep him off the stage. He's been in Camelot, 9 to 5, How to Succeed, Joseph, Kiss Me Kate, West Side Story, Forum, Secret Garden, Barnum, and debuted here in Fiddler in 2004. He'll be welcoming you at the top of the show.

Mackenzie Grattan
Erma

Mackenzie is happy to be back with Summer Place Theatre! Some of her favorite previous roles include Gingy in Shrek (Wheaton Drama), Belle in Beauty and Beast (Elwarren Civic Theatre) and Guinevere in Camelot (Summer Place). She would like to thank her family and friends for their support, and most importantly her fiance Kyle, for spending his evenings alone while she is at rehearsal.

Alison Groppi
Hope Harcourt

Alison is excited to perform in her second show with Summer Place Theatre! She is currently pursuing her BFA in Acting at Marymount Manhattan College. She'd like to thank her friends and supportive family for all they do to support her goals!

Axel Hageman
Luke/Quartet

Axel is excited for you to see Anything Goes! When not performing in the Naperville North high School Showchoir "Entourage", you can find Axel eating, or ya know just being on tech crew. He works at Everdines Downtown Naperville. He would like to thank Megan Pawlak, Jake, Ethan, Audrey, Nora, Malthus, The entire cast of victorious, Lindsay, His voice teacher Jen, Wendys 4 For 4, his parents, and of course JuJu. He hopes you enjoy the show. Follow his finsta @truffle.shuffle37.

Mark Hasselo
Minister/Ensemble

Mark is happy to be a part of Summer Place's 51st season with Cole Porter's musical Anything Goes. He has been in 5 other Summer Place productions such as Oklahoma!, H2$, Jesus Christ Superstar, Camelot, and Joseph, as well as other local productions like You're A Good Man Charlie Brown as Charlie Brown, Vlad Vladikoff in Seussical, and Cats, to name of few. Mark will continue to act in productions, continuing to learn and grow as an actor and a performer. "Special thanks to the Summer Place family, and Sharesa and Susan for being inspired by me and my dreams."

Nicole Hodge
Ensemble/Reporter

Nicole is elated to take part in her very first summer place production! She would like to thank the cast and crew for a great show! She is going to be a senior at Metea in the fall and will be in their musical, Little Shop of Horrors, as Ronette.

Lauren Kessler
Ensemble

Lauren is beyond excited to be participating in her first Summer Place production. She was recently seen in Neuqua Valley's production of Once Upon a Mattress, The Good Doctor, and The Snow Queen. She would like to thank her family, her weekly McChickens, and Michelle Obama for her unwavering support.

Chris Knight
Ship's Purser/Quartet

Chris is excited to be on stage once again for Summer Place Theatre. He most recently performed as a high priest in last summer's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. When not rehearsing, Chris works as an electronics engineer. He also loves to cook and is a nationally certified beer judge. Chris lives in Lisle with his wife, Sandra and daughter Lucinda and would like to thank them for their love and support during this production.

Clare Lillig
Purity/Dance Captain

Clare is currently a Vocal Performance and Dance Performance double major in Indiana. Her most recent credits include Miss Pinkerton (The Old Maid and the Thief) Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), and Marian Paroo (Music Man). She studies dance at Lou Conte Dance and has performed and choreographed both for theatre and for dance. She has recently finished a choreography intensive in London. She is also a coloratura soprano in the Saints Peter and Paul Choral Scholars as a well as a cantor. In her free time Clare likes to travel internationally, find cute coffee shops, and make passive aggressive needlepoints.

Amber Miller
Ensemble

Amber is studying Musical Theatre and Dance at North Central College. This is her first production with Summer Place. She has performed with other community theatres in the area. Some previous roles include Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical, Miss Andrews in Mary Poppins, and Mrs. Bucket in Willy Wonka Jr.

Ramona L. Ory
Ensemble

Ramona wants to thank Maria and Emma for taking a chance on her! She enjoyed being in The Music Man last year with Ted Waltmire. "He is my inspiration." The last musical before that was Flower Drum Song, with John Peace in 1972 in this High School!

Carolyn Pizzato
Evangeline Harcourt

Carolyn was recently seen in The Cemetery Club (Lucille) with Elgin Theatre Company. Graduate of The Second City Training Center. Favorite shows include Blythe Spirit, The Firebugs, Antigone II (original cast), and back in the day, her high school's production of Anything Goes (Hope). Thanks to Tom and Valerie.

Molly Ricker
Ensemble

Molly is very thrilled to be performing in her first Summer Place Theatre show. She was previously seen in many shows at Orland Park Theatre Troupe such as Beauty and the Beast, Shrek, Peter Pan, and Annie. When not on stage performing, Molly is a kindergarten teacher. She wants to thank all her biggest fans for their love and support, especially Jeff and her parents.

Jilaine Rogers
Chastity/Dance Captain

This is Jilaine's debut with Summer Place Theatre. She is a recent graduate of Valparaiso University (B.A. in Theatre, minors in Spanish and Humanities, Magna Cum Laude) and is very excited to be performing in one of her favorite musicals. She'd like to thank her parents for their continued support and the entire cast for welcoming her with open arms.

Praveen Sahadewan
Ensemble

Praveen Sahadewan is a soon-to be sophomore at Naperville Central High School. He has been involved in school productions such as The Music Man, Annie, Bye Bye Birdie, and the Addams Family, however, this is his first time performing with Summer Place Theater.

Jaime Sandoval
"Moonface" Martin

Jaime is happy to be returning to the Summer Place stage where he was last seen as Sir Francis Bacon in William Shakespeare’s-Land of the Dead. He enjoys performing in many community theaters in the western suburbs including: North Riverside Player, Greenman Theatre in Elmhurst, Wheaton Drama, Stage Coach Players in DeKalb, and Village Theater Guild in Glen Ellyn, to name a few. He would like to thank his wife, Maura, and his children, Siobhan and J. T., for their continued love and support. Besos!

Emrose Seidenberg
Dance Captain/Ensemble

Em is so thankful to perform in one of her favorite shows and second musical with Summer Place Theatre. She was last seen as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere in Athens 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee with SPT. Favorite past roles include Mama Noah in Children of Eden and Trinculo in The Tempest at Chicago Academy for the Arts. Em will be attending Interlochen Academy for the Sartre next year and would like to thank her family and voice teachers for supporting her in her musical theatre journey!

Krista Sherinian
Ensemble

Krista is excited to relive the Big Band Era with Summer Place after being in theater at Downers Grove South High School. She’d like to thank her friends and family for their kindness and support, Tanya Kreger, tap instructor, Jeanne O’Connell and parents Debbie and Glen Osness (owners of Bristol Grove Music in Plainfield) for teaching her a love of the arts, and hubby Konrad of The Law Offices of Konrad Sherinian, for staying out of legal trouble. She promotes wellness as a chapter co-leader of the Holistic Moms Network Southwest Suburban Chapter and with clients at Dunham Counseling in Naperville. “The world has gone mad today, and good’s bad today….Anything goes!!”

Jenna Smiley
Ensemble

This is Jenna's first show with Summer Place, and her second show ever. Jenna's first show was Lion King. She is very excited to practice this show and perform it with this cast! Jenna would like to thank her mom, dad, and brother, and the rest of her family and friends.

Markos Smith
Quartet/Ensemble

Markos Smith is excited to close out his summer with a show by Summer Place. Performance music is what takes up Markos' free time. He has been in other Summer Place productions such as Camelot, Jesus Christ Superstar, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

 

Tyler Sonkin
Billy Crocker

Tyler is thrilled to be returning to the stage with Summerplace Theatre. He holds a BA in Theatre from Millikin University. Credits include: Drowsy Chaperone (Man in Chair), Much Ado About Nothing (Don Pedro), Lend Me a Tenor (Max), Big Fish (Amos), Suessical (General), You're A Good Man Charlie Brown (Schroeder), Legally Blonde (Elle's Dad/Dewey/Lowell), Kiss Me, Kate (Pops/Ensemble/General u/s) plus a few more. He would like to thank his family and friends for all of their love and support.

Sharesa Uher Moffitt
John/Ensemble

Sharesa is excited to be joining SPT for the fourth time on stage! When not performing on stage, she can be found teaching private voice and piano. Favorite credits include Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical & Ethel Toffelmier in The Music Man. She would like to thank the entire production team, the pit, and stage crew in addition to the wonderful cast. You're the top! A special thanks for supportive friends and family who have come to see Anything Goes!

Garrett Wells
Lord Evelyn Oakleigh

Garrett is studying theatre at Lake Forest College and is going to be a sophomore. This is Garrett's first show with TSP and is ecstatic to be performing. He would like to thank his family and friends for their ever-lasting support and Maria, Lindsay, and Emma for the opportunity.

Steve Zeidler
Ship's Captain

Steve is the past president of Summer Place Theatre and has been a major supporter of this theatre group for years. He's also an accomplished actor and singer, appearing in many of our plays and musicals, most recently as Arthur in Spamalot, also in Oklahoma, Harvey, The Man Who Came to Dinner, a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

 

Crew

Maria Welser
Director/Choreographer

Maria Welser is honored to kick off her first production with the SummerPlace. She started directing at the National Theatre Institute, but "Anything Goes" is her first full length musical. Her play "Unlocked" was featured at the 2013 Latino Playwrights Festival at the Goodman Theatre, and she has acted with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival and is proud to join the Windy City Players in September. She enjoys teaching at Allegro Music and Dance, and hopes to work with the wonderful and talented members of this production in the future. Thank you cast and crew for being simply DeLovely!

Emma Gingold
Vocal Director/Producer

Emma's last Summer Place appearance was at the July board meeting, but before that she conducted the pit orchestra for the June production of Spelling Bee. She has greatly enjoyed working with these outstanding singers on such classic music; it's "simply too, too, too divine!" Emma is a collaborative pianist, piano teacher, and professional Cheez-it eater. She lives in Westchester with her husband Josh and her dog Bonnie.

Tim Janiszewski
Music Director

Tim is a recent graduate of Elmhurst College where he double majored in Music Education and Music Theory composition. During his time there, he was the winner of six student conductor competitions. Tim is also an active composer, performer and conductor in the Chicagoland area. He has performed and conducted in a number of musical productions such as Evita, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, She Loves Me, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Dames at Sea.

Lindsay Latanski
Stage Manager

Lindsay is very excited to be stage managing with Summer Place for the first time! In addition, Lindsay stage manages and occasionally produces for the Palos Village Players. She wants to thank her parents for all their love, support and encouragement. She would also like to thank her theatre family for being the best friends in the world!

Show Times:

Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29 at 7:30pm
Sunday, July 30 at 3:00pm
Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5 at 7:30pm
Sunday, August 6 at 3:00pm

Performed at Naperville Central High School Auditorium
"The kids move out for summer, and we move in!"

PHOTO GALLERY

We thank photographers Berenice Cruz and Tim Curtis for great photos during one of our rehearsals. See below.