Anything Goes - meet cast member Marshall Cesena

Tell us about your character.

Billy Crocker is a self-proclaimed “broken down broker." He’s the general manger for Elisha J. Whitney, a Wall Street banker who “hires and fires Billy every eight minutes.” Despite his shaky job security, he’s a very determined character. While meeting his boss in port to deliver his passport prior to a transatlantic cruise, Billy runs into Hope Harcourt, a woman with whom he instantly fell head-over-heels in love after meeting her at a party a few months prior. In order to pursue Hope, who is now engaged to a stuffy English nobleman, Billy stows away on the ship and spends the trip trying to woo her while also avoiding the ship’s officers, including a particularly persistent purser. Billy is fun-loving and agile. He’s quick-thinking, a skill he learned working for his fickle and demanding boss. His determination to “get the girl” through whatever antics necessary makes him an endearing and lovable character.

What were some of the challenges for you in working on this piece?

Billy is always “on.” He’s not the type of character who can casually stand on stage; he is always poised for action. He requires a lot of energy! Also, he has a LOT of lines. A big thank you to Allie, my wife, for countless kitchen table read-throughs!

What do you hope the audience will take away from this show?

Cole Porter was a brilliant composer and lyricist - I hope to share his music with a broad audience.  And it's a really fun show!  If the audience goes home signing the songs (and maybe dancing a little, too), we've done our job!