Character guide
Moonface Martin
from Anything Goes
Moonface Martin is a comic supporting character in Anything Goes, Cole Porter's 1934 shipboard musical comedy.
- Show
- Anything Goes
- Broadway premiere
- 1934
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Cole Porter
Moonface Martin on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1936 film
In Paramount's 1936 film, the character is credited not as Moonface Martin but as Rev. Dr. Moon, played by Charles Ruggles as a minister who is actually a gangster running from the law. The 1956 film drops him, along with most of the original characters.
On stage, Victor Moore originated Moonface, Public Enemy Number 13, in 1934, singing Be Like the Bluebird. Friendship, added in 1962, became his duet with Reno Sweeney in the 1987 and 2011 revivals, and Bill McCutcheon won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical as Moonface in the 1987 Lincoln Center revival.
Moonface Martin: role facts
- Originated on Broadway by
- Victor Moore (1934)
- Notable performers
- Bill McCutcheon won a Tony for the 1987 Lincoln Center revival; Joel Grey played him in the 2011 revival.
- Voice type and range
- Tenor, C3 to F#4 in Be Like the Bluebird
- Songs Moonface Martin sings
- Friendship (with Reno, added in 1962)
- Be Like the Bluebird (solo)
Who is Moonface Martin?
Moonface is a small time gangster, listed by authorities as Public Enemy Number Thirteen, who boards the SS American disguised as a minister to avoid the police. His path crosses with Billy Crocker's, and the two become unlikely allies as Billy pursues his own scheme to win back Hope Harcourt.
Moonface's constant anxiety about being caught, paired with his oddly sentimental streak, particularly toward his moll Erma, provides much of the show's broad physical and verbal comedy amid its more sophisticated romantic plotting.
Moonface's role in Anything Goes
Moonface is a supporting role built for a strong comic performer, with the number Be Like the Bluebird among his notable musical moments. The disguise as a minister gives the character rich comic material throughout the shipboard farce.
Victor Moore originated the role on Broadway in 1934. Moonface has remained a favorite supporting part in the show's many revivals, valued for the comic relief and old fashioned gangster caricature he brings to the otherwise romance driven plot.
Moonface Martin: frequently asked questions
Has anyone won a Tony Award for playing Moonface Martin?
Yes. Bill McCutcheon won the 1988 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for playing Moonface Martin in the 1987 Lincoln Center revival of Anything Goes, opposite Patti LuPone's Reno Sweeney.
What songs does Moonface Martin sing in Anything Goes?
Moonface's solo is Be Like the Bluebird, which he sings to cheer up Billy in the ship's brig. He also sings Friendship with Reno, a Cole Porter song from DuBarry Was a Lady (1939) that was added to Anything Goes for its 1962 off-Broadway revival and kept in later revivals.
Who played Moonface Martin in the 2011 Anything Goes revival?
Joel Grey played Moonface Martin in the 2011 Broadway revival at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, opposite Sutton Foster's Tony-winning Reno Sweeney.
What show is Moonface Martin from?
Moonface Martin is a supporting character in Anything Goes, which opened on Broadway in 1934.
Is Moonface Martin a lead or supporting role?
Moonface Martin is a supporting role, providing much of the show's comic relief.
Who wrote the music for Anything Goes?
Cole Porter composed the music and lyrics for Anything Goes.
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