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Witty wordplay, kooky characters and daring tap dance choreography are backed by a monumental three-tiered stage in Ptarmigan Ptheatrics' grand and ambitious production of Anything Goes. The fast-paced musical comedy opens at Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) on April 30.

"It's going to be an epic," said director Roy Williams. "It's a big musical with big, fat chorus numbers."

Sandra Hickman takes a rest after a vigorous rehearsal. The stay-at-home mom sings and dances in the chorus, which allows her to balance a commitment to community theatre with the daily work of raising a young family. - photo courtesy of Katherine Silcock.

Almost 60 singers and dancers share the stage, cycling through 300 costumes in the course of the evening.

"It's one of the biggest casts we've ever had," said stage manager Lynn Elkin.

The budget topped $25,000 and lots of people contributed an incalculable commitment of time and energy to the production.

"People have worked really hard for the past three months on dancing and singing and extra dancing and extra singing," Elkin said, quickly adding that the hard work was a pleasure. "It's silly and every rehearsal is a joy to watch. Of all the shows we've done, this one is pure fun."

The 1934 Cole Porter classic features some of the best-known Broadway tunes of the twentieth-century, including I Get a Kick Out of You, You're the Tops and the title song, Anything Goes.

"Cole Porter is just amazing," Elkin said. "It's timeless music. The words are fabulous and they're clever. The melodies and harmonies are rich and complex."

Music director Melanie Heppelle adapted a 1987 version of the musical for the Ptarmigan production. The updated version, which mixes an energetic, pared-down swing sound into the vintage score, earned 10 Tony nominations.

"From a comedic point of view, the script has been modernized," Williams said. "Our last productions, Cabaret and Chicago, introduced some of the dark relationships in the world. It was time to lighten up. This musical is amazingly funny with a joke every second line."

Anything Goes is set on a luxury liner in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where a motley mix of peculiar personalities clash to comedic effect.

Veteran comic actor Ada Timmins, who pulled off a hilariously-convincing Betty Boop-style Brooklyn accent in the Kitsch n' Sync production of Little Shop of Horrors, stars as Reno Sweeney, an ex-evangelist who reinvents herself as a sexy nightclub singer.

Margot Nightingale, who filled leading roles in Cabaret and Chicago, returns to centre stage as the sexy rebel chick, Erma, girlfriend to insecure gangster Moonface Martin, played by radio DJ Jay Boast.

"As an actor it's a delight to wrap yourself in craziness and foolishness and revel in the light side of things," Nightingale said. "We've done some pretty heavy shows in recent years and this is, no pun intended, a dramatic change in direction."

Other familiar faces from the local theatre community include dramatic actor Ken Woodley as a goofy, goggle-eyed tycoon, Shad Turner as a lovestruck stowaway and Allan Ross as a clueless but confident English aristocrat.

"One of the great joys of theatre in Yellowknife is that it's big enough that we have a lot of talent, but it's small enough that there will be someone you know on stage," Ross said. "This is a great opportunity to go out for an evening and be entertained by someone you never thought you would be entertained by. Hopefully, seeing friends on stage will motivate people to get involved in the next production."

Sandra Hickman is part of the chorus. It is her second appearance in a Ptarmigan Ptheatrics production. "For me this works out perfectly because I'm a stay at home mom," she said. "Participating in the chorus allows me to be a part of local theatre while still maintaining my normal life with my family."

Hickman sings in all the big numbers, dances in a ballroom scene and delivers a few lines of dialogue here and there.

"The people behind the scenes put a lot of time into this and it really shows," she said. "It helps the people in the limelight to reach their full potential." Almost a dozen young actors ranging from age eight to 14 have roles in the cast. Several high school student actors are involved, as well, including James Doiron, who last appeared on stage in the recent St. Pat's production of Guys and Dolls.

Ptarmigan Ptheatrics formed as a nonprofit community theatre company in 1991. It has since presented more than 20 shows. Any proceeds from this production will support the rental of studio space in Kam Lake that serves Ptarmigan Ptheatrics, NACC and the Aurora Ukrainian Dancers.

Anything Goes runs at NACC from April 30 to May 2 and from May 7 to 9. The show begins at 8 p.m. each night. Tickets are available at the NACC box office.