Anything Goes
Anything Goes: Cole Porter's classic musical, with a book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, takes place in the 1930's on an ocean liner bound to London. Stowaway Billy Crocker hopes to win the hand of heiress Hope Harcourt even though she is engaged to Lord Evelyn Oakleigh. He finds sympathy and assistance in his endeavor from nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, her singing Angels and Public Enemy #13 Moonface Martin.
Get Your FREE Plot Now!
Sample Photos of Our Rental Costumes for Anything Goes
Pictures are representative of our rental collection, costumes may vary due to size and availability.
Rental Costumes for Anything Goes
What do you get when you request a FREE costume plot from The Costumer? We will send you the listing and costume description for the entire show, organized by act and scene for your convenience. The Costumer is proud to provide quality Adult and Children’s rental costumes for productions of Anything Goes! Group costume rentals for Anything Goes cover the entire cast including leads such as Reno Sweeney, Billy Crocker, Hope Harcourt, and Moonface Martin, as well as ensemble members including Reno’s Angels, ship crewmembers, passengers, reporters, and much more!
Anything Goes is a bonified Broadway classic that follows the zany antics and romantic complications between passengers aboard the ocean liner the SS American. The musical’s book was a collaborative effort by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodenhouse, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. Anything Goes debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre, now known as the Neil Simon Theatre, in 1934. The musical has been subsequently revived several times in the United States and Great Britain, with revisions made to the libretto with each revival. The musical introduced several songs that have since become American musical theatre classics, such as “Anything Goes,” “You’re the Top,” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.”
The story begins in the early 1930’s as the audience is introduced to Billy Crocker, a young Wall Street broker. The young man has fallen head over heels in love with a beautiful girl he met at a party and spent the night with in a taxicab. Although Billy has fallen for the gorgeous young woman, he does not know who she is. Following his eventful evening, Billy heads to the dock to say goodbye to his friend and employer, Elisha J. Whitney, who is boarding the SS American en route to London. Billy’s boss is traveling in order to finalize a business deal. Billy’s friend who is also aboard the same ship, is Reno Sweeney, the Evangelist turned nightclub singer. While Billy only sees their friendship as strictly platonic, Reno clearly feels something more for him (“I Get a Kick Out of You”). As Billy bids farewell to Reno and Whitney, he catches a glimpse of the mysterious girl from he has fallen for. Billy learns that the young woman he spent the evening with is none other than heiress Hope Harcourt. Hope is boarding the American with her fiancé Lord Evelyn Oakleigh, a dashing yet pompous and hapless British nobleman, and her chaperoning mother, Mrs. Harcourt.
Desperate to win the heart of the girl that he had fallen for, Billy stows away on the ship. However, Billy is not the only one attempting to sneak aboard the American, for second-rate gangster “Moonface” Martin, who has earned the less than desirable label “Public Enemy 13,” and his girlfriend, Bonnie, board the ship with the innocent aid of Billy while disguised as a minister and missionary. Due to Moon and Bonnie boarding under assumed identities, the ship’s real chaplain is subsequently left stranded back at the port, and the pair also mistakenly leave behind their crime lord boss, “Snake Eyes” Johnson, Public Enemy Number 1.
As the characters of this zany musical begin boarding the SS American for a cross-Atlantic trip filled with hilarity, hijinks, and blossoming romance, The Costumer will ensure that your audience is fully immersed in Anything Goes’s world of boisterous fun with our fabulous rental costumes! Rental costumes for Anything Goes accurately represent the musical’s early 1930’s setting through popular fashions of the era and period-specific apparel. Billy Crocker will embody that of a young and ambitious Wall Street stockbroker in a dapper blazer, dress shirt, matching trousers, and a white yachting cap. The flashy nightclub singer, Reno Sweeney, will be clothed in an ostentatious day dress with coordinating gloves, hat, and handbag, thus making her look match her onstage performing persona. Sir Evelyn and Hope will ooze wealth and style through their attire. Hope will be draped in an attractive and stylish period dress with matching gloves, hat, and handbag. Sir Evelyn will look equally as handsome in a sophisticated tweed Norfolk suit, complete with a colorful perry collar shirt and matching bowtie. Moon and his moll, Bonnie, will make quite the splash in their respective costumes. Moon will be perfectly disguised as a minister in an all-black ensemble accented with a white clerical collar. Bonnie by comparison will resemble the classic gangster’s companion in a flashy, tight dress.
Once Billy helps Moon and Bonnie get aboard the ocean liner, the criminal couple thank him by gifting him with a passport and ticket. Unbeknownst to Billy, the passport and ticket belong to Snake Eyes Johnson. Billy soon manages to con Sir Evelyn into leaving him alone with the lovely Hope. Reunited for their first meeting since their taxicab rendezvous, Billy and Hope reveal that they have not been able to stop thinking of one another (“All Through the Night”). Although Hope wants to be with Billy, she tells him that she still must marry Sir Evelyn.
The ship’s crewmates soon receive a message that Public Enemy Number 1 is on board the ship, prompting Moon to reveal his true identity to Billy and admit to Billy who his passport and ticket really belong to. Due to the fact that the crew now believes that Billy is a notorious gangster, Moon and Bonnie conspire to disguise Billy as an average crew member. As the story continues, Billy, Moon, and Bonnie must evade suspicions from the crew and others, while Billy tries to win over the Hope’s heart. Billy enlists Reno’s help to try and break up the engagement which leads to even more hijinks. Matters only become more complicated when Billy’s identity is revealed, and new romances materialize.
This is only a mere glimpse at what The Costumer has to offer for Anything Goes! With the help of our rental costumes, let your artistic vision come to life onstage and transport your audience to outlandish world of the SS American! Request your free plot today!
Get Your FREE Plot Now!
Back to List of Shows