Introduction by Ms Bruce, Director of Performing Arts
Anything Goes is one of those rare musicals where every single song is a hit. The melodies, harmonies and instrumentation of Cole Porter’s incredible score instantly transport you back almost 100 years to a time where sound on screen was a new invention, Al Capone was named as Public enemy number 1, Picasso was all the rage, Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean, FDR was elected president and the suggestive musical styles of Jazz and Swing became very popular. A time which, despite the Wall Street crash and the Great Depression, was full of hope and excitement for the future, where rules were being broken and women’s rights were progressing. Anything Goes encapsulates 1930s America beautifully with humour and class; it is full of witty references and complex, well-crafted language, typical of Cole Porter’s style. This superb musical is one I have wanted to put on at KC for a long time. Not just because of the complex jazz-influenced harmonies, the graceful melodies and the pure fun that radiates from the libretto and score, but because Porter obviously wrote it with such love and heart. The students at KC have amazed me yet again with their talent and dedication but also with their love of the piece. I think, even when a piece of theatre or music is very old, the quality of the work speaks for itself and I know our cast, even the youngest of our team, have fallen in love with it. The themes of love, social differences, loosening of moral standards are still relevant today as is the humour (although we’ve occasionally had to seek explanations from our resident American Chaplain Katie)! This musical means a lot to me and has come to mean even more during our rehearsal time together. Easy to Love was the song for the first dance at my wedding (!) and I have performed many of these songs in choirs, as solos and in concerts over the years. I very much hope, like myself, the production team and the cast and crew that, tonight, you will also fall in love with this absolute classic. Enjoy!
Synopsis
Act I: In 1930s New York, Wall Street banker Whitney prepares to sail on the SS American, while his assistant Billy Crocker discovers that the woman he loves, Hope Harcourt, is onboard with her wealthy fiancé, Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. Determined to win Hope’s heart, Billy secretly boards the ship using the ticket of wanted gangster Snake Eyes Johnson, with help from nightclub singer Reno Sweeny and small-time criminal Moonface Martin. Amid mistaken identities, disguises and comic schemes, Billy tries to convince Hope to choose love over duty, but his deception is revealed and he is arrested (then promptly released!) to the delight of passengers who believe they have a famous criminal aboard. Act II: As the ship sails on, Billy and Moonface receive celebrity treatment until the truth emerges that they are not in fact famous criminals and they are thrown in jail. Hope prepares to marry Evelyn despite her feelings for Billy, while Reno realises she has fallen for Evelyn herself. With help from pickpockets Spit and Dippy, Billy and Moonface escape, interrupt the wedding and reveal the truth. In the end, love triumphs: Billy and Hope unite, Reno and Evelyn fall for each other, and Whitney and Evangeline also pair off, culminating in a joyful triple wedding celebration.
Gallery
The Principals
Reno Sweeney: Sarah Homewood Sarah lives for music. She spends most of her life playing, analysing or listening to music whenever she can. At Kent College she has appeared in five musicals; her first was The Secret Garden at the age of eleven and since then she has gone on to play Noah, in Sweeney Todd, Jane Seymour in Six and William Cartwright in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In what will sadly be her last whole school musical at Kent College, Sarah is delighted to be playing the role of Reno in tonight’s performance of Anything Goes.
Reno’s Angel: Annie Balcombe I have loved musical theatre for as long as I could remember; I've performed in Matilda playing the role of Matilda, The Addams Family, The Wizard of Oz, Les Misérables and so many more! I am honoured to be playing the role of Reno's Angel and can't wait for everyone to see the magic of this show that Miss Brown and Ms Bruce have worked so hard on!
Reno’s Angel: Isabella Barnett Isabella has loved performing from a very young age and has played The Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Amanda Thripp in Matilda the Musical Jr and is very happy to be playing one of Reno’s Angels in Anything Goes tonight. Future productions include The Railway Children in the summer.
Reno’s Angel: Isabelle Boler Isabelle Boler Isabelle has loved taking part in musical theatre since she started school. She has performed in multiple musicals such as, Peter Pan, Annie, Oliver, Edwin Drood, Matilda, Anything Goes, Mary Poppins, JPA shows and she is delighted to be playing Purity in Anything Goes. Future productions include Railway Children, A JPA summer show and hopefully a Trinity show in the summer.
Reno’s Angel: Sophia Gardiner Sophia loves Music and Drama. She loves the theatre and being in the music block. Sophia was the Tin Man in her Year 6 production of The Wizard of Oz, and has been in Matilda and The Mystery of Edwin Drood at KC. Sophia is a music scholar and has loved all the productions she has been in. She takes part in many Music and Drama clubs such as Chamber Choir and Orchestra. Tonight Sophia is one of Reno’s angels and sailor in Anything Goes; she has enjoyed it so much and can’t wait for more musical and theatrical adventures in the future.
Reno’s Angel: Liberty Neeves Liberty has always loved to perform in many different scenarios. She's previously been in Matilda as Bruce, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood in the chorus as well as Peter Pan as a Lost boy and Mr. Darling, and is delighted to currently be playing Erma and one of Reno’s Angels in Anything Goes.
Reno’s Angel: Salome Phala Salome has enjoyed theatre for a long time. She has performed in many musicals such as Peter Pan, Edwin Drood and Matilda the Musical. She is so excited to be playing the role of Virtue and being part of the quartet tonight in Anything Goes. She looks forward to participating in future productions including The Railway Children later this year.
Hope Harcourt: Isabelle Usher (Thurs and Sat) Isabelle's life is acting. She has been acting for as long as she can remember and has enjoyed everything she has ever done. Having been a student at KC since she was 3, she has been in almost every show since Phantom of the Opera in 2018, at the age of 9. She was in Secret Garden in Year 6 then Medea in Year 7 as a woman of Corinth. She went on to be Tobias in Sweeney Todd, and then Oberon in A Midsummer's Night Dream. She featured in Amadeus as an ensemble actor and then starred in SIX as Katherine Parr. She played the lead role, Rosa in The Mystery of Edwin Drood and is now playing the role of Hope in Anything Goes, as well as helping direct the show. This show will sadly be her last whole school show at KC. Isabelle is going on to study acting, drama and directing at university.
Hope Harcourt: Mabel Cooper (Wed and Fri) Mabel has loved acting for as long as she can remember, and since she was little has wanted to become an actress. Mabel has taken part in many shows, in school and outside of school, and is super exited to be playing Hope Harcourt in Anything Goes tonight. She also is taking GCSE Drama and takes part in LAMDA as well. Her next show is Ride or Die at Trinity Theatre.
Billy Crocker: Charlie Beneventi Charlie started performing when he was 11 and has loved it ever since. He has been in many productions including playing Jason in Jason and the Argonauts (The Skinners’ School), Troy Bolton in High School Musical (The Trinity Youth Theatre) and Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid (The Trinity Youth Theatre). More recently he has been in Trinity’s Nativity: The Musical where he played TJ / Angel Gabriel, and Skinners’ production of Urinetown as Robby the Stockfish.
Lord Evelyn: Marja Yeatman Marja has always loved public speaking, and through this she discovered her love of acting, particularly after playing the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland in her Year 3 assembly! Later on, in Year 6, Marja applied for, and was awarded a Drama scholarship at KC. In Year 7 she landed her first role as Durdles in the Mystery of Edwin Drood where she was able to perform alongside her sister. In Year 8, she was awarded the role of Trunchbull, which was a great experience through which she was able to experiment with different skills. She is now in Year 9, and has joined a theatre group, in which she goes to musical theatre competitions. She is auditioning for the lower school play of The Railway Children, which will be performed in June. Her aspiration is to be a screen actor and do more realistic acting!
Evangeline Harcourt: Lily Ashley (Thurs and Sat) Lily has always enjoyed Drama, however began to pursue acting more seriously last year. She has been taking part in the LAMDA programme for about five years and has performed in The Amazing Maurice And His Educated Rodents as well as Matilda the Musical as Mrs Wormwood. She is currently doing GCSE Drama and is very grateful to have the opportunity to play the role of Mrs Harcourt in Anything Goes tonight.
Evangeline Harcourt: Rosa Page (Wed and Fri) Rosa has always had a love of acting since she was very little. She has been in many performances including Oliver Twist, Land Girls, Amadeus and many more. After many rewarding plays at KC she has now moved on to take the Drama GCSE course and is thoroughly enjoying it. Rosa is so excited to be playing the role of Mrs Harcourt in Anything Goes this evening. Later this year she will also be performing in Into the Woods.
Elisha Whitney: Ruby Gibson Ruby has always loved singing and acting. Her first ever performance was in nursery when she played Mary in the early years nativity. Then she played a maid in Magpie Manor. After many more musicals she played Nigel in Matilda the Musical at KC last year. Ruby has enjoyed playing Elisha Whitney in Anything Goes and is excited to perform in future musicals to come.
Moonface Martin: Louise Wakefield Louise’s love of performing began at a young age and she has enjoyed being involved in theatre ever since. Over the years she has taken part in a range of productions, including many pantomimes, Amadeus, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and last year, Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical Jr. She is thrilled to be appearing in Anything Goes tonight as Moonface Martin. She is also set to perform in Annie Jr and many other shows later this year.
Erma: Jess Bowerman (Wed and Fri)
Jess has been in many productions such as Mrs Doubtfire the musical in the West End and Shrek the Musical for Tunbridge Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society. She has acted in Saga Cruise adverts and performed in a Matilda mash up for AED (All England Dance) and won at nationals 2024 as Matilda in Wolverhampton. Jess trains at Italia Conti, As U Are Productions. For her acting agency, she is represented by Scarlett and Co, run by Scarlett Leigh Fawcett.
Spit: Clementine Harvey (Wed and Fri)
Clementine is very fond of Dance, Singing and Acting; she has looked up to her sisters Connie and Anabelle over the years as they pursued their dreams. She has performed the kangaroo in The Kangaroo, she also played Mrs Lovey Dovey in The Lovey Doveys. She is a part of Trinity Theatre in Tunbridge Wells where she has played roles such as young Anna and young Elsa in two series of Frozen and an ugly stepsister in Cinderella and many more! She has the privilege of playing spit in our production of Anything Goes and she is so excited about her journey ahead at KC. She will be performing in The Railway Children in June. Lastly, Clementine has been doing dance classes since she was seven at Gabriella’s School of Performing Arts and will soon move to Associates. She is so exited to perform!
Dippy: Charlotte Squires (Wed and Thurs) Charlotte has performed in theatre for a long time; from Year 4 she took part in Stage Coach and Showtime Acting Club with whom she performed many plays and musicals such as Beauty and the Beast as well as many dance shows. She has also played the role of Nala in The Lion King and now she is delighted to play Dippy in Anything Goes.
Dippy: Harriet Vernon-Whitchurch (Fri and Sat) Harriet is very passionate about Drama and Dance. Outside of school productions, she continues building her acting skills at Kent Acting Studio in Wateringberry every Saturday. She loves being involved in theatre and live performances; she enjoys putting herself in other people’s shoes. Harriet has had the pleasure of being in many productions one of the most notable performances she has done was Six where she played the part of Jane Seymour at her Drama school. Other shows include: School of Rock, Matilda the Musical Jr and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, all at KC. Harriet also does Speech and Drama at KC and is studying for her Grade 3. Harriet is delighted to be playing the role of Dippy in Anything Goes.
Captain of the S.S.American: Mabel Pugh Mabel has been acting since she was very young; through Stage Coach she performed in shows such as The Lion King and Mamma Mia. Since she moved to KC she has been in many school productions like The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents where she played Maurice as well as the productions Amadeus and Matilda the Musical Jr. Tonight she will be playing the role of The Captain in Anything Goes.
Ship’s Purser: Sylvia Varley Sylvia has enjoyed acting and singing from a young age and has taken part in several local productions at the Stag Theatre. She’s been involved in shows such as Trial by Jury (operetta) and the musical Aladdin and played the role of Eric in Matilda the Musical Jr. She has also completed her Grade 5 singing exam outside of school. She’s now looking forward to playing the Ship’s Purser in the upcoming production.
Henry T Dobson (Wed and Fri) / Fred (Thurs and Sat): Jess Grobler Jess has been acting for as long as she can remember, from baby nativities to this amazing production of Anything Goes. She has been in the previous two productions at Kent College including the role of the Escapologist in Matilda the Musical Jr She can’t wait to share her love for musicals with you as she plays the either the Minister or Fred tonight.
Reporter / FBI Agent 2: Rahel Abraham Rahel is thrilled to be playing the role of Reporter in Anything Goes. She contributes much to the school through Speech and Drama as well as taking part in all other shows and concerts offered by the school. She would like to be an actor when she is older and is very much hoping that she will be able to be in the upcoming production of The Railway Children. In addition, she plays Grade 5 Piano and has achieved Grade 4 Musical Theatre Singing.
FBI agent 1: Nuran Daylan Nuran is delighted to be portraying the role of FBI Agent 1 in Anything Goes. She participated in KC's Matilda the Musical Jr, and she does Speech and Drama lessons weekly. She strongly desires to be an actor in the future. Nuran very much hopes to be involved in KC's The Railway Children in June. She is a competitive Gymnast at KCGA and can speak Turkish fluently! She is also a passionate singer.
Understudy Lord Evelyn Oakleigh / FBI agent 2: Gwen Corrish Gwen has been part of many shows including Annie (scenes) and Matilda the Musical Jr. She is doing Anything Goes and is looking forward to The Railway Children later this year. She loves everything active like PE and Musical Theatre. When Gwen is moving around, like when she is doing shows or on the hockey field, she can let herself go and be totally free. Gwen is interested in having a part-time acting career when she is older, as she finds joy in it. Gwen feels, when she is acting, she can be someone else and act like no one’s watching.
Female Passenger: Alivia Hobbs Alivia has performed in many shows including Matilda the Musical Jr and nativities. She is interested in gymnastics, acro and, of course, acting. Alivia is delighted to take on the role of a passenger in Anything Goes tonight. When she is older she is planning to be an actress. She is delighted to perform to you all, enjoy the show.
Sailor: Frida Hawkins-Bromfield Frida has had lessons in Speech and Drama and has had singing lesson since she was six. She has recently completed her grade three with a high-level merit. She has performed in KC's Matilda the Musical Jr and has the honour of performing in KC's Anything Goes where she plays the role of a sailor. She wishes everyone in the show the best of luck (break a leg)!
With special thanks to:
Prep School
Well done to our wonderful Prep school students who have been such a huge part of our production. This is the first whole school musical that has used Prep school students as principal characters and they have all performed brilliantly, with professionalism beyond their years.
Dance Troupe
Congratulations must also go to our excellent dance troupe for their hard work and commitment during rehearsals. Their strength, stamina and skill are clear to see, with their energetic and enthusiastic performances bringing joy to the show and the audience.
Crew
Thank you also to our amazing crew who worked so well together to create seamless transitions and bring the different scenes to life. The set changes get quicker every night! Well done.
Production Team:
Director: Michelle Brown Musical Director and Producer: Helen Bruce Choreographer: Tori Johnson Costume Design: Carlee Smith and Louise Bright Sound, Lighting and Set Design: Glenn Hougham Director’s Assistant: Isabelle Usher Dialect Coach and Set Design: Katie Osweiler Assistant Musical Director: Leila Daniels Assistant Choreographer: Phoebe Bowerman Costume Design Assistants: Riley Hudson, Claudia Ventress, Josie Pond, Iona Green and Sara Giacomini Martin. Set Build: Mike Phyall and Anthony Beard Stage Manager: Grace Synman Signage: Andy Dixon
Band
Keys: Paul Showell Clarinet / Sax: Helen Greenfield Clarinet / Sax: Rob Leake Drumkit: David Trevillion Percussion: Louise Payne Cello: Leila Daniels Bass: Joe Payne Trombone: Mark Attwood Trumpet: Paul Gardiner Flute: Isla Evans
Thank you to the Housekeeping Department, Luke and his Catering team, SLT, Alex and his Estates team, the Oast Theatre for the costumes, all the parents who contributed Props, the Marketing team and of course, all of you for supporting the show.
Photography and Videoing
The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings or streams of this production is strictly prohibited and a violation of United Kingdom Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
In Dedication to June Darbyshire MBE (1933–2026)
This production of Anything Goes is dedicated to the memory of June Darbyshire MBE (1933–2026), our much-loved former Chair of Governors and a proud Old Girl of Kent College. June was a passionate and unwavering supporter of the school, rarely missing a performance and always championing the talents of our students. Her warmth, encouragement and deep commitment to our community will be fondly remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing her. We think she would have loved this show.