Reno Sweeney (Leah Hocking) and friends Billy Crocker (Lewis Cleale) and Moonface Martin (Bob Amaral) in the Music Circus production of ANYTHING GOES playing July 24-30.

    After the frantically funny pace of A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum at last week's Music Circus, this week's Anything Goes was a refreshing pause that gave the audience a chance to catch its breath.

    Anything Goes takes place on a luxury liner bound from America to England. The unlikely passenger list includes Reno Sweeney (Leah Hocking), an evangelist turned nightclub singer; Billy Crocker (Lewis Cleale), the assistant to businessman Elisha Whitney (Kenneth Gray); Hope Harcourt (Christy Morton), who is secretly in love with Billy; her fiance Sir Evelyn Oakleigh (Daren Kelly); and Moonface Martin (Bob Amaral), Public Enemy No. 13.

    Things start to get wild when Billy discovers Hope is on the ship. He's just there to see his boss off -- but when he's offered a ticket and a passport from a clergyman, he jumps at the chance to be close to Hope. Little does he realize that the clergyman is really Moonface Martin, a notorious criminal who is trying to flee the country.

    The pair soon become friends, however, and Moonface helps Billy try to win Hope away from her fiance. They enlist another friend, Reno Sweeney, who takes a liking to Sir Evelyn and, as the song says, from then on, "Anything Goes!"

    Leah Hocking was great as Reno, and Lewis Cleale and Billy and Christy Morton as Billy and Hope made for a perfect pair of starcrossed lovers. Bob Amaral, however, probably got the most laughs as the bumbling Public Enemy No. 13 Moonface Martin. He most recently appeared in the Sacramento production of Triumph of Love as Dimas, but he really shined as Moonface in Anything Goes.

    Hocking has been in many local productions, including Brigadoon, The Secret Garden and TThe Most Happy Fella. She's also been on Broadway in such productions as Jekyll and Hyde and Guys and Dolls and is rapidly becoming a Sacramento favorite.

    Morton returns to the Music Circus for her second season, with three shows to her credit last year. Cleale toured nationally in Sunset Boulevard which came through Sacramento last year.

    Anything Goes, which features the music of Cole Porter, is a lighthearted comedic romp on the high seas and is one of the more enjoyable shows to play under the tent in recent memory (its last appearance was in 1985). It has a little bit of everything for everbody - comedy, romance, dancing, singing - and is one of those shows that will have you feeling good by the end.
    Tickets are priced at $27 to $45, depending on date and seat location. Tickets are on sale at the Wells Fargo Pavilion box office, 1419 H Street, or all Tickets.com outlets including The Wherehouse and select Raley's. To order tickets by phone, call (916) 557-1999 or (916) 766-2277. Next up at the Music Circus is You're A Good Man Charlie Brown! (July 31-August 6).

    You're A Good Man Charlie Brown! stars James Ryan as Snoopy, Scott Bridges as Charlie Brown, Rebecca Rich as Lucy and Ben Rauch as Linus. You're A Good Man Charlie Brown! is Music Circus' traditional half price show for kids under 12. Return to Sacramento Stage & Theatre