Anything Goes at Lakeshore Players Theatre
Cast of Anything Goes, Photo by: Sobottka Photography
For those of you who’ve never seen a production of Anything Goes I’ll give you a brief synopsis. The show follows a group of characters aboard the SS American as they travel from New York to London. Reno Sweeney, a glamorous nightclub singer, is in love with Billy Crocker, who is instead chasing after Hope Harcourt, who’s reluctantly engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. In an effort to win her over, Billy sneaks onto the boat, landing himself in a whole lot of trouble.
Lakeshore Players Theatre is located in White Bear Lake, in the nice and modern Hanifl Performing Arts Center. I saw Urinetown there last spring and have been so excited since to make a trip back. One thing I’ve found to love about Lakeshore Players is the amount of Twin Cities talent they showcase. Their musicals contain larger casts and newer younger actors \, introducing crowds to their next favorite performers.
Hope Nordquist is effortlessly iconic as lead Reno Sweeney, serving looks and being a vocal powerhouse any second she was on stage. I’ve seen Nordiquist in her two other musicals this year playing leads in both Cinderella at Theatre Latte Da and in Sweet Charity at Artistry. Nordquist knows how to draw the audience’s attention, even in moments not centered around herself. Her costumes were the cherry on top; Megan Kent did not disappoint in taking us into the glamorous vibe of the show.
Reynhout’s performance as Billy Crocker steals scenes and hearts.
I’m shocked I haven’t seen him in anything before this, because he definitely was the overall stand out performer for me. Billy is charming, relatable, and has that classic yearning tenor energy. Even when his mic cut out, he powered through, and held up his side of the duets really well.
I’m not sure if it was just this production in particular, but expected this show to be very Reno centered, so it was surprising how the plot seems to focus way more on Billy’s story.
Marley Ritchie as Erma Latour was by far my favorite comic performance in the show. She added lots of needed humor to the production, and provided the audience with much needed energy on a Sunday afternoon, and you could tell she was having loads of fun with it.
However, this show is not for everyone. It relies heavily on its popular songs and dance numbers, and while it doesn’t have a ton of big plot twists or emotional highs, it’s light and silly in a way that works if you’re in the mood for it. If you like older musicals — think pre-Fosse, inter Great Depression — this is one of the better ones in that category. It gets a little ridiculous at points, but that’s part of the charm.
A quick note on accessibility: Lakeshore Players does a great job keeping things affordable, with student tickets priced at $15 for any performance.
The Pay-What-You-Can night for this run has passed, but I recommend following their social media or checking up on their website to see when those dates happen!
Lakeshore also just announced their 2025-2026 season, to which I’m very excited for The Importance of Being Earnest and Once Upon a Mattress. Read about their whole season here! https://www.lakeshoreplayers.org/theatre-subscriptions-2526
