WHEN Anything Goes turned into Anything Goes West, York Musical Theatre Company director Paul Laidlaw had a a quick decision to make.

Several company members had dropped out of the Cole Porter show through unavoidable cicumstances, but Paul spotted the chance to capitalise on the 50th anniverssary of Porter's death – on October 15 1964– by assembling a celebration of the American composer's best numbers.

Songs from Anything Goes will be joined by a selection from Kiss Me Kate, High Society, Can-Can, Nymph Errant and Out Of This World in It's De-Lovely: An Evening Of Cole Porter at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from Wednesday to Saturday.

"Quite frankly we had casting problems with Anything Goes," says Paul. "All musical societies are having trouble getting young lads into their shows, so we got to the point where we couldn't cast it satisfactorily as we couldn't find enough sailors. But we thought that as it's a significant Cole Porter anniversary this year, let's not waste this opportunity; let's have a celebration show, which gives us a much wider net to trawl for an evening of wallowing in fabulous songs."

Everything from the Porter songbook is available for such a show, which Paul consequently has built around the cornerstones of Can-Can, Anything Goes, High Society, and 1948's Tony Award-winning Broadway hit Kiss Me Kate, complemented by comedy numbers and stand-alone favourite such as Well, Did You Evah?, Night And Day and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.

"It won't be a concert; it will be a staged production with a full company, sets, costumes, lights and a band but no narrative," says Paul, who combines the duties of director and musical director. "I want to make the show intimate and classy, so I'm using a small combination of instruments, and everything will move smoothly from one section to the next."

Paul promises "a few surprises", by which he means "songs that people may not know as well". Such as? "There's a wickedly clever song called The Physician, which is as near to the knuckle as you can go without being rude as a woman declares her love. It's the Gertrude Lawrence number from Nymph Errant in 1933, though I first heard it in sung by Julie Andrews in the 1968 film Star!.

"It's one of those things went into the department of the brain called That Will Be Useful One Day, and that day has arrived," says Paul. "Another one is Use Your Imagination, which is a silver-lining-to-every cloud song, originally from Out Of This World."

Paul is directing a cast of 25 including such regular principals asJohn Haigh, Jessa Liversedge, Matthew Ainsworth and Anna Mitchelson, who will sing The Physician. "We've also got plenty of newcomers, after a lot joined to tap their way through Anything Goes," he says.

As he prepares to open It's De-Lovely, Paul has been struck again by Porter's songwriting prowess. “Cole Porter has been such a huge influence on musical theatre and musical comedies, we couldn’t think of a better way of marking the 50th anniversary of his death than with a whole evening dedicated to his music," he says.

"He was a great tunesmith but also his lyrics are just so clever or beautifully constructed; his internal rhythms; how he turned a phrase; it's just joyous. The only comparison would be be with Stephen Sondheim, but though I love his work, no-one could accuse Sondheim of being a great tunesmith who sends you home whistling, but Porter does."

After 15 weeks in his regular summertime role as musical director of nine Scarborough Spa concerts a week in the Sun Court and the Grand Hall, Paul soon will be turning his attention to his 25th year as the dame in the Gordon Craig Theatre pantomime in Stevenage.

He will be appearing in Aladdin from November 28 to January 25. "I'm giving my Widow Twankey with Barry from EastEnders – Shaun Williamson – as the evil Abanazaar," he reveals.

York Musical Theatre Company presents It's De Lovely, An Evening Of Cole Porter, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, Wednesday to Saturday, 7.30pm plus Saturday matinee, 2.30pm.

Box office: 01904 623568 or yorkmusicaltheatrecompany.org.uk