Cole Porter — “Another Op’nin’, Another Show”
It would be almost impossible to live in Indiana and know nothing of Cole Porter. Born in the north-central Indiana town of Peru, Porter became one of the best-known songwriters of the early 20th century — not just here, but across America. Songs like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Begin the Beguine” and “Anything Goes” perfectly captured the optimism of the 1930s; Porter’s musicals were the talk of Broadway.
But then came a long period of seeming decline, brought on by a horse-riding accident in 1937. Porter’s subsequent music was largely forgettable — until 1948, when he unleashed what was arguably his greatest musical, “Kiss Me Kate.” Here was classic Porter again: the infectious melodies, the jazzy rhythms. Those attributes appear right at the beginning of the clever show-within-a-show, via “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” a classic “show-biz” two-beat song about the joys (and trials) of life on the stage.
Program notes provided by Joe Nickell
