Anything Goes (Reaction Paper Sample)

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Anything Goes
“Anything Goes” by Cole Porter is among the greatest American musicals ever written. The musical has been performed in numerous theatres and institutions since its inception in 1934, and it has won several Tony Awards. “Anything Goes” is a high-quality work and this has allowed the musical to survive in the realm of musical theatre. The musical represents the ideologies that existed in the 1930s in America. “Anything Goes” does not target a particular group of individuals or racially discriminate against anyone. The main purpose of the musical was to highlight all the discriminations that occurred during the 1930s. Porter used the musical to convey the issues of homophobia, gender-based discriminations, and suffrage. Women had been exercising their voting rights by the time “Anything Goes” was released. However, women continued to be vilified and objectified in the American society. The Black Americans and other minority groups were treated like second-class citizens. The minority groups were denied many basic rights such as quality education and healthcare. During the 1930s, homosexuals could not declare their sexual orientations in public for fear of being attacked by other members of their society. Cole Porter was also a homosexual who was forced to marry a Linda Lee Thomas to hide his orientation. The arrangement was mutually beneficial to Porter and his wife because it brought him a respectable status in his community at a time when members of the society frowned upon homosexuality.
Transatlantic steamers granted individuals the freedom from most of the restrictions exerted on underprivileged members of the society. Sailors could express themselves without the fear of reprisal from the Prohibition authorities or any other group in the society. The musical’s title, “Anything Goes” is a phrase that demonstrates the freedom individuals could enjoy while traveling on the London-bound luxury ocean liner. The characters in the musical represent a group of misfits seeking greater meaning in life. For instance, the main character, Reno Sweeney, has transformed from an evangelist to a naughty nightclub performer. Moonface Martin pretends to be a priest so that he can escape from the law. On board the ship is Billy Crocker, who only pretends to be a sailor and a gangster so that he can pursue his lover, Hope Harcourt. Harcourt has been betrothed to the affluent Lord Evelyn Oakleigh so that her mother can restore her family’s fortunes. However, Harcourt loves Crocker instead of Oakleigh.
Reno states that times had changed and “any...