Expect hijinks, mistaken identities, and all sorts of shenanigans when Susquehanna Stage presents "Anything Goes," a comedy about a diverse group of people aboard a cruise ship. The musical will be performed at the theater, 133 W. Market St., Marietta, on select dates from Friday, July 26, through Sunday, Aug. 4.

"This show is a situational comedy about a celebrity cruise line," explained Gracious Mattson, who portrays debutante Hope Harcourt. "There are stowaways. There are criminals on board. There's a debutante and a renowned evangelist. It's a show that makes fun of everything - anything goes."

Featuring the music of Cole Porter, "Anything Goes" includes classic songs such as "I Get a Kick Out of You," "It's De-Lovely," "You're the Top" and the show-stopping number "Anything Goes."

"That's the Act 1 finale, and it's a big dance number," said Ethan Reimel, who plays the gangster Moonface Martin. "This show features a lot of different dance styles - tap, jazz, tango, samba, foxtrot."

Each of the main characters in "Anything Goes" has a unique backstory, said Jared Mattson, who plays Billy Crocker.

"Billy Crocker is a broken-down broker living in Manhattan, N.Y., in the 1930s. He meets a beautiful woman, Hope Harcourt, and instantly falls in love with her," Jared explained. "He spends the rest of the show just trying to get her to notice him. ... He's a little bit of a fool, but his heart's in the right place."

Gabrielle Dina plays evangelist Reno Sweeney. "Reno is in love with Billy, but he does not love her at all," she shared. "She's looking for love in all the wrong places, but she does find true love in this show."

Ethan describes his character as "a gangster who's really bad at being a gangster. He puts on this tough image, but he's a bit of a softy deep down."

Although the show takes place in the 1930s, it has not lost its appeal to modern audiences, Gabrielle said.

"This is a fun, lighthearted show, but it has a little bit of social commentary to it," she said. "There's a focus on celebrity mania, which I think is a very modern problem. A huge subplot in the show is the captain desperately searching for celebrities on his ship because they have none sailing with them, and that means people won't buy tickets to the ship. He doesn't care if these celebrities are good people or bad people. There's definitely some commentary about how people will worship criminals just because they're celebrities."

Because of its elaborate dance numbers and wide range of characters, "Anything Goes" is often performed on a big stage with a big cast, but space is a bit limited at Susquehanna Stage. The theater staff was up to the challenge, said Jared.

"The production team has done a really good job with this show," he noted. "There are 25 people in this cast, and it's been impressive to see how such a big show is coming together here."

Gabrielle said audiences can expect toe-tapping musical numbers, lots of comedy and a happy ending.

"Come for a lot of fun, a lot of laughter, a lot of humor and comedic timing," she said. "If you're feeling sad, come see this show. It will lift your spirits."

"Anything Goes" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, July 26 and 27, as well as at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 and 3. Additional performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, and at 2 p.m. on Sundays, July 28 and Aug. 4. For more information, visit http://www.susquehannastage.com.