BACKGROUND TO CHARACTERS
BILLY
CROCKER
“I’m gonna lose my job, my
boss is gonna lose his shirt – all
because of one damned dame.”
played by
Alex Rathgeber
Billy is a regular guy working on Wall St, who finds himself unexpectedly on a boat –
the same boat that the girl of his dreams is travelling on. With the help of two
gangsters he befriends on board, he moves through a series of clever and not-so-clever
disguises in an attempt to win back the girl from her stuffy fiancé.
RENO
SWEENEY
“It ain’t easy being New York’s
most notorious evangelist.”
played by
Caroline O’Connor
Reno is a former evangelist preacher turned
nightclub singer, travelling aboard the SS
American. Billy sees Reno as a friend, but she
still has feelings for him. Nevertheless, she
helps Billy in his crazy attempts to woo the
woman he really loves.
HOPE
HARCOURT
“I’ve ruined my life! I’ve
ruined HIS life! And now
it’s raining!”
played by
Claire Lyon
Hope is the woman of Billy’s dreams. A young woman
travelling with her mother and fiancé, she still carries
a torch for Billy but cannot tolerate some of the
deceitful activities he carries out aboard ship.
LORD EVELYN
OAKLEIGH
“Anyone have hot pants for
a game of shuffleboard?”
played by
Todd McKenney
Lord Evelyn is Hope’s English fiancé, who has a strong
desire to learn “Americanisms”. A stuffy but wellmeaning and wealthy aristocrat, over the course of the
story we discover that not only is he not that devoted to
Hope, but that there is more to his background than meets
the eye.
“MOONFACE”
MARTIN
“You’re not taking the right
attitude. I’m a dangerous
man.”
played by
Wayne Scott Kermond
“Moonface” is a gangster and wanted criminal
(“Public Enemy number Thirteen”) posing as a
minister aboard the SS American, along with his
accomplice Erma. He quickly befriends Billy and the
two of them work their way through a series of
disguises as they plot to undermine Hope’s
engagement to Evelyn.
ERMA
“Getting’ married’s for the
birds.Who needs it?”
played by
Debora Krizak
Erma is Moonface’s accomplice who quickly attracts
the attention of the many sailors aboard the SS
American. She assists Billy and Moonface in their
madcap schemes to “get the girl”, although she keeps
Moonface at arm’s length – she knows him all too well!
ELISHA J.
WHITNEY
“How do I do it? Brains, guts, and
the world’s finest education!”
played by
Bartholomew John
Elisha is Billy’s boss and an old friend of Hope’s
mother, Evangeline. A successful businessman,
the only thing he likes more than making money
is a well-stocked bar.
EVANGELINE
HARCOURT
“The ship is sinking! Do I have
time to go back for my jewellery?”
played by
Carmen Duncan
An old friend of Elisha Whitney, Mrs Harcourt is
determined to see her daughter married to the
wealthy Lord Evelyn Oakleigh – mainly to
ensure her own financial comfort!
THE CAPTAIN
“Ladies and gentlemen, it appears
that we have not one, but two
famous criminals on board. Let’s
make them feel at home!”
played by
Gerry Connolly
The captain of the SS American is determined to
ensure that the guests aboard his ship are
comfortable and safe from gangsters. However,
his main priority is getting as many celebrities as
possible on the passenger list – even if that
involves “bending the truth”!
LUKE and JOHN
“Captain, is there a casino
on this ship?”
“Why, no.”
“There is now!”
played by
played by
Aljin Abella
Nicholas Kong
These two missionaries were converted by Minister Henry T. Dobson, who is
mistakenly arrested as a gangster before the ship sails. Without their
leader’s guidance, the two converts start to return to their “wicked” ways!