Des Plaines actor’s ‘full circle moment’ comes with lead role in Porchlight’s ‘Anything Goes’
“Anything Goes,” Cole Porter’s 1934 tuner about the romantic shenanigans unfolding on an ocean liner bound from New York to London, has a special place in Luke Nowakowski’s heart.
In 2014, when the Des Plaines actor was a high school senior contemplating a career in theater, “Anything Goes” was his school’s musical. He played a small role in that production. Nearly 10 years later, he’s playing one of the leads, lovesick stowaway Billy Crocker, in Porchlight Musical Theatre’s 90th anniversary revival.
“I find it a sweet, full circle moment for me,” said Nowakowski who, when he auditioned for Porchlight last year, thought “even if nothing comes from it, I can’t let it pass me by without at least trying.”
“It’s been challenging in the best way,” he said, adding “it’s a musical farce so there are a lot of layered storylines … a lot of moving pieces.”
Playing Billy, who he describes as a young, scrappy guy, not unlike himself, allows Nowakowski to do a bit of everything: sing, dance, act and make people laugh.
“It’s fun to spin a lot of different plates,” said Nowakowski, who lived for a short time in Hoffman Estates, grew up in Lake Geneva and graduated from Elmhurst University in 2018 with a major in voice performance and a minor in dance.
Although he’s performed at Ravinia and with Paramount, Goodman and Chicago Shakespeare theaters, the Porchlight production marks his first time playing a principal character professionally.
“This is my big Chicagoland debut, so there’s a lot of pressure,” he said, “but it’s all swept away the minute you walk into the theater.”
As a young child, Nowakowski was comfortable being in front of an audience. But he didn’t get onstage until 5th grade. His father died around the holidays, at the same time his elementary school was holding auditions for “Honk! Jr.” a musical retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Ugly Duckling.”
Luke was absent following his dad’s death. Upon his return, his teachers thought he needed an outlet and arranged an audition. He made the cut.
“It was a huge community of people working together to achieve a common goal,” he recalled. “We were doing music (which I loved), dancing (which I was learning to love) and acting.”
Theater proved an invaluable escape for the youngster.
“I got the bug from that,” he said. “It was one of the most fun experiences I had in my life up to that point. From then on, you couldn’t stop me from performing.”
In high school he sang in the choir, performed in musicals and was a member of the forensics team, performing as a solo and as part of a duet, anything that allowed him to “delve into a character.”
“I always wanted to understand people,” said Nowakowski, who says he became more empathetic after his father’s death. “Theater gave me the opportunity to step into another person’s mindset, which I really liked.”
But when it came to deciding on a college and a major, his mother worried about him pursuing a career in the arts, a profession not known for providing artists financial stability.
She has since become his biggest cheerleader. And will likely be front and center opening night for “Anything Goes,” which Nowakowski describes as an ideal show for people who want to laugh during a time when laughing can be a challenge.
“It makes you feel good,” said Nowakowski, who expects audiences will leave the theater charmed and emboldened to pursue their dreams. “The storylines are twisty, but you’ll leave humming the tunes.”
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“Anything Goes”
When: Saturday, Jan. 13, through Feb. 25
Where: Porchlight Music Theatre at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 Dearborn Ave., Chicago. (773) 777-9884 or porchlightmusictheatre.org
Tickets: Start at $20