`ANYTHING GOES' AT NOTRE DAME

The spring musical is a big deal at Notre Dame High School. This year, like most years, the number of people either on stage or working behind the scenes to pull it off exceeds 150. The competition is rugged, with seniors naturally hoping that years of underclass diligence pay off with a plum role.

But when drama teacher and director Cynthia R. King casts her musicals -- Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," opening at 8 tonight in the school gym and continuing through Sunday, her 23rd -- "We cast where the talent is," she says.

Brandi Leonard, the female lead in this year's production, is a senior who transferred to the school only this year. The same is true for Jeremy Burford, a junior who plays the gangster Moonface Martin. And Jessica Hency, who has a major role as his moll Bonnie, is only a freshman.

"It says a lot for the student body that she came in from the outside and got the part," King says of Leonard.

King says she watched Burford bloom as an actor during the process of trying out for his role. As for Hency, King can hardly contain her amazement at her abilities -- freshman or not.

Ellen Seyer, the school's choir director, is the musical's vocal director and will conduct the small orchestra. Though many of the show's tunes are considered standards -- "You're the Top," "Friendship," "I Get a Kick Out of You" and the title song, for instance -- with one exception her students hadn't heard them.

"That can be an advantage," Seyer says.

The exception is a Mountain Dew commercial that claims, "I get a kick out of Dew."

It's a 61-year-old show, but lack of familiarity with the songs is not a concern for Seyer. "Sometimes that can be an advantage," she says.

King has some experience directing "Anything Goes." Notre Dame produced it in 1979, when current athletic director Chris Janet was a student who played the role of Elijah J. Whitney.

That "Anything Goes" had some youthful leads as well, she recalls. But the set was much less technically involved, and the show offered only a smattering of dancing.

This time out, the steamship set has grown to three levels, and choreographer Deanna Pecord has convinced many of the 43-person cast that they can tap dance.

"Most of them are not dancers but they look pretty sharp," King says.

"Anything Goes" is the 30th musical Notre Dame High School has produced.

Tickets are $5.