Binghamton University opened its mainstage musical “Anything Goes” on Nov. 15. The energetic and colorful musical was directed by Tommy Iafrate, an associate professor and the director of musical theatre, and Melissa Yanchak, the resident music director and a lecturer of theatre.

“Anything Goes” follows Reno Sweeney, a nightclub singer, and her friend Billy Crocker, a Wall Street worker, as they embark on a cruise to London. Meanwhile, an eclectic public enemy and villain, Moonface Martin, has snuck on board with some help to flee the country. With marriage proposals and fake disguises, the characters are excited for some entertainment from the other passengers. Billy eventually tries to pursue the love of his life, who is traveling to London, with Sweeney by his side.

Full of dance breaks and big musical numbers, the characters go through trials and tribulations and fight many disguised villains as the ship rattles on. Iafrate explained the process behind choosing a new musical each year and why they decided to put on “Anything Goes.”

“Every year when choosing the following year’s musical(s), we look at what musicals we’ve done in the recent past to determine what the current student body has missed out on,” Iafrate wrote in an email. “In this case, we found we were due for a traditional musical with strong dance elements and musical comedy jokes. We made a list of about a dozen musicals that would fulfill these elements (as well as our casting needs) and polled the student body to gauge their excitement over these titles. And ‘Anything Goes’ was a huge hit! So we decided to give it a shot.”

Each song played an important role in the development of the plot. Characters fought and yearned for their dreams and having musical numbers provided an emotional aspect to the performance. Along with costume changes and the occasional tap dancing, audiences were wooed by the ease that the actors’ performances brought on stage.

The electric energy of the musical arguably serves as a relieving break from the end-of-semester bustle. “Anything Goes” may be an older musical, as its debut performance was in 1934, but according to Jesse Findling, an undeclared freshman who played the character Moonface Martin, it brings a timeless kind of joy.

“With so much seriousness in today’s world, this show is a breath of fresh air, reminding us of the joy of live theater and the lighter side of life,” Findling wrote in an email. “Plus, the themes of love, identity, and defying social expectations still resonate today; it’s exciting to see how they play out on stage.”

According to Yanchak, the orchestrations used for the show were meant to mimic big bands of the 1920s and 30s. “Anything Goes” was one of the larger productions she has done, which provided a new perspective to running a show. It entailed working directly with students and coordinating the orchestra on stage, while also working with other parts of the crew, like management and scenic design.

“This is my second large pit orchestra,” Yanchak said. “Which I think is probably one of the most unique things about this particular piece, is that this is the first time that the orchestra is on stage with us, as with the cast, we sit on the top of the big ship that’s there, which is pretty cool.”

“Anything Goes” touched on themes of love and friendship and the extremes many will go to to attain their dreams. Each character was unique and exciting — giving the musical an alluring quality. Overall, the product on stage reflected the dedication and talent of every individual and gave many audience members a performance to remember.

“This show is so silly,” Iafrate wrote. “In my experience, Binghamton students take things quite seriously, especially as we’re approaching a pretty stressful part of the semester. When I’m feeling that way, I find it helps to seize opportunities for playfulness and fun — which is totally something this musical provides. The goofy escapism of this brand of musical theatre can be a chance to disengage from the problems of our lives and to experience a more carefree world where we’re able to laugh at problems with ease and joy. I think a lot of us could use a taste of that right now.”