Straight off the heels of her electrifying performance in the Classic Stage Company’s musical ‘Carmen Jones’, our favorite Divabetic Soara-Joye Ross stars in Cole Porter‘s madcap seafaring musical ‘Anything Goes’ with Corbin Bleu. Featuring some of musical theater’s most memorable standards such as “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “You’re the Top” and the title song, Anything Goes is directed by Molly Smith, with choreography by Parker Esse and music direction by Paul Sportelli, and will run November 2-December 23, 2018 at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

Soara-Joye Ross (Reno Sweeney) After coming off the heels of John Doyle’s New York revival of Carmen Jones as Frankie, the “Beat Out Dat Rhythm of the Drum” songstressSoara-Joye is thrilled to be making her Arena Stage debut as Reno! She was last in D.C. with the National Tour of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (The National Theatre). Broadway: Les Misérables, Dance of the Vampires. Off-Broadway: Jerry Springer the Opera (Carnegie Hall, dir. Jason Moore), Dessa Rose (Lincoln Center), Tin Pan Alley Rag (Roundabout Theatre Co.), Single Black Female (Playwrights Horizons & The Duke, dir. Colman Domingo), The First Noel (The Apollo, dir. Steven Broadnax), Disenchanted (Westside), Cross That River (Outstanding Individual Performance NYMF Award). Film: Garden State. TV: Crashing (HBO). Soara-Joye also has a solo show entitled This Is My Life, Gotta Fly! Training: The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Performances dedicated in loving memory of her mom, Rita. www.Soara-Joye.com

Corbin Bleu (Billy Crocker) comes from an extensive background in film, television and theatre. He is probably best known for playing Chad Danforth in Disney’s Emmy Award-winning High School Musical franchise. Corbin was recently seen on Broadway as Ted Hanover in the Tony-nominated production of Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical, winning the Chita Rivera Award for Outstanding Male Dancer in a Broadway Show. Additional Broadway credits include: Godspell (Jesus) and In the Heights (Usnavi). Other stage highlights include Hairspray (Seaweed) and Mamma Mia! (Sky), both at The Hollywood Bowl. Most recently Corbin starred as Don Lockwood, the role made famous by Gene Kelly in The Muny’s centennial season production of Singin’ in the Rain. Also in 2018, Corbin was honored as Entertainer of the Year from the Tremaine National Gala honoring his work in the dance industry. His film credits include: To Write Love on Her Arms (starring opposite Kat Dennings), Nurse 3-D and The Monkey’s Paw, to name a few. Corbin’s television credits include: Franklin & Bash, Blue Bloods, Psych, Castle, The Fosters and Chicago Med. In 2013, he partnered with Karina Smirnoff on the multi-Emmy Award-winning ABC hit Dancing with the Stars, placing a close second. A Brooklyn native, Corbin currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Sasha.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent Broadway World interview with these two dynamic stars by Elliot Lanes:

What show got you hooked on working in the theatre?

Soara-Joye (SJ): I actually have a snippet of my debut cabaret performance of “This is My Life, Gotta Fly!” in New York City back in 2013, where I tell the story about how I fell in love with musical theater on YouTube!

Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, the movie musical and Bernadette Peters as the Witch in Into the Woods on Broadway! I was in high school at the time in the “Academy of Music” program. There wasn’t a drama program, but we performed several pieces from musicals. I would also go to the public library and borrow as many movie musicals on video and cassette tapes of all the Broadway soundtracks I could! I was in love with theater back then!

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Tickets for Anything Goes are $40-105, subject to change and based on availability, plus applicable fees. Tickets may be purchased online at arenastage.org by phone at 202-488-3300 or at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth St., SW, D.C.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic interviews Soara-Joye Ross about managing blood sugars on Broadway LISTEN NOW