SSTI Closes Season With Cole Porter’s ‘Anything Goes’

The Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute will cap off its 18th season with a fresh take on the Broadway classic Anything Goes, featuring music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The production will be directed and choreographed by Jacob Brent, a veteran of the Broadway stage and a familiar face at SSTI.

Anything Goes, set aboard a luxury cruise liner, the S.S. American, is a musical comedy of mistaken identities, romantic entanglements and over-the-top antics unfolding at sea. With its blend of farce, fast-paced dialogue and elaborate tap dance numbers, the show has remained a staple in American musical theatre for nearly a century, most recently revived on Broadway with Sutton Foster in the lead role.

“This show is pure joy,” said SSTI founder and producing director Ben Wolfe. “It’s the kind of musical that reminds audiences why they love theatre. It’s filled with hummable hit songs, constant humor and a pace that doesn’t let up.”

The score features some of Porter’s most celebrated tunes, including “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top,” “Friendship” and the show’s iconic title number, “Anything Goes.” The SSTI production will feature a cast of performers selected through a nationwide audition process and supported by a team of professional designers and directors, including Brent.

Brent, best known for his role as Mistoffelees in Cats on Broadway, London’s West End and in the 1997 filmed stage production, brings a wealth of performance and teaching experience to the rehearsal room. His previous directorial work at SSTI includes Gypsy, The Music Man, Hello, Dolly! and A Chorus Line — several of which have received awards in regional and national voting.

“Jacob has an ability to bring out the best in each person on our team, whether it’s a performer, a technician or a member of our design team,” Wolfe said. “He elevates the entire room with his energy, professionalism and creativity.”

The production will be staged at Hilton Head High School, located at 32 School Road. Evening performances are scheduled for July 25th, 26th, and Aug. 1st and 2nd at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees on July 27th and Aug. 3rd at 1 p.m. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at HHISummerMusicals.com or by calling 866-749-2228.

SSTI was founded in 2008 and has since developed a reputation as one of the most challenging and rewarding pre-professional training programs for high school students interested in the performing arts.

Alumni have gone on to appear on Broadway, in national tours and at leading theatre conservatories and university programs.

The company was recently named Lowcountry’s Best Live Theatre by The Island Packet and received seven BroadwayWorld regional awards. Last month, SSTI produced its best-attended production to date, breaking all previous box office records with its hit staging of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5: The Musical.