Anything Goes at Fleet Week

We’re not sure if the sailors crowding Times Square for Fleet Week can tap dance,
but in New York City you don’t have to go far to find a few who can! In fact, look no further than Broadway, where the Tony Award-winning musical Anything Goes is the perfect production to get you in a nautical mood as NYC rallies in honor of the brave sailors taking a much-needed break this week in the Big Apple.

Set upon the high seas, this 1934 musical by legendary American composer Cole Porter takes place on an ocean liner bound for London. Anything Goes tells the story of young Wall Street broker Billy Crocker who stows away aboard the S.S. American in the hopes of convincing the girl he loves not to marry another man. After he winds up with a couple of hapless gangsters (also stowaways on this luxury ship), the young lover is caught up in a case of mistaken identity that nearly dashes his dream of marrying the lovely heiress Hope Harcourt.

And among the most exciting scenes in this classic Broadway musical are the dazzling tap dance numbers that feature the talents of a large crew of white-uniformed sailors, including the saucy girl gangster Bonnie’s song “Where Are the Men?” (Hint: in NYC this week at least, they’re everywhere!)

If you’re still not sure about Anything Goes, you can preview this musical — and many others — at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, where Fleet Week events include a Broadway showcase Friday, May 25, on the flight deck of the museum’s aircraft carrier.

The noon-hour line-up includes a performance by the cast of Anything Goes, as well as numbers from the Broadway shows Memphis, Ghost, Sister Act, Chicago, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Rock of Ages, Godspell, and Porgy & Bess

Anything Goes stars Broadway veteran Stephanie Block (Wicked) as nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, Academy Award winner Joel Grey as the bumbling gangster Moonface Martin, and Bill English as Billy Crocker.

When it comes to Broadway, what’s your favorite nautical number?

Anything Goes sets sail eight times a week at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre. Tickets available at BestofNewYork.com.