Preview of “Anyone Can Whistle - The Guide to Musical Theatre”

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE

a musical fable in two acts, 12 scenes. Book by Arthur Laurents. Music and lyrics by StephenSondheim.

Produced at the Majestic Theatre, New York, 4 April 1964 with Lee Remick (Fay Apple), AngelaLansbury (Cora Hoover Hooper) and Harry Guardino (J. Bowden Hapgood). (9 perfs)Produced at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, England, 21 August 1986 with Marilyn Cutts, PipHinton and Michael Jayes.

Original Cast (in order of appearance)

Sandwich Man: Jeff Killion.Baby Joan: Jeanne Tanzy.Mrs. Schroeder: Peg Murray.Treasurer Cooley: Arnold Soboloff.Chief Magruder: James Frawley.Comptroller Schub: GABRIEL DELL.Cora Hoover Hooper: ANGELA LANSBURY.The Boys: Sterling Clark, Harvey Evans, Larry Roquemore, Tucker Smith.Fay Apple: LEE REMICK.J. Bowden Hapgood: HARRY GUARDINO.Dr. Detmold: Don Doherty.George: Larry Roquemore.June: Janet Hayes.John: Harvey Evans.Martin: Lester Wilson.Old Lady: Eleonore Treiber.Telegraph Boy: Alan Johnson.Osgood: Georgia Creighton.

Cookies, Townspeople, Tourists:

Anyone Can Whistle - The Guide to Musical Theatre http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_a/anyone_whistle.htm

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Susan Borree, Georgia Creighton, Janet Hayes, Bettye Jenkins, Patricia Kelly, BarbaraLang, Paula Lloyd, Barbara Monte, Odette Phillips, Hanne-Marie Reiner, EleonoreTreiber, Sterling Clark, Eugene Edwards, Harvey Evans, Dick Ensslen, Loren Hightower,Alan Johnson, Jeff Killion, Jack Murray, William Reilly, Larry Roquemore, TuckerSmith, Don Stewart, Lester Wilson.

SynopsisAct I

"Everyone hates me," concedes Cora, the Mayoress, and it's not surprising: the reservoir's dry, thetown's bust, the citizenry are starving, there's grass on the sidewalks but not in the park. And it's all sounfair: "ME AND MY TOWN, we just wanna be loved," she tells her Boys, aware that she'sunpopular with the populace. But salvation from bankruptcy is at hand in the form of a fake miracle -water flowing from a rock. It's a sign, it's a goldmine and it's holier than thine. "Our troubles are over -praise the Lord!" cheer the Townsfolk (THE MIRACLE SONG), as the Pilgrims and Tourists swarmin to take the waters for a modest fee".

But a small hitch occurs. Patients from a local mental hospital, The Cookie Jar, escape and minglewith the tourists. In order to sort out the sane from the insane, Cora and the Town Council turn to avisiting doctor, J. Bowen Hapgood, who applies the most rigorous principles of logic and divides thecrowd in Group A or Group 1. But which is which? Is Group A sane? Or is it Group 1? "SIMPLE",says Hapgood, but he ties Cora's council in knots before announcing, "You are all mad - and turningto the audience. Blackout. The lights come up to show the cast seated on the stage in the orchestraseats, looking at programmes, laughing and applauding the audience.

Act II

In the process of rounding up the escaped cookies, Hapgood has met Fay Apple, a nurse from themental institution who joins him in a flirtatiously French duet (COME PLAY WIZ ME). ButFay's truer feelings are expressed in a confessional soliloquy: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE but shecan't. What's hard is simple to her, but really simple things she finds impossible. Through the street,meanwhile, the cry of "Hooray for Hapgood!" has gone up. At last, there's a man they can trust. Coracan't help but notice there's A PARADE IN TOWN, but she consoles herself with the thought that anyparade without her is, by definition, second-class. Hapgood's message is a simple one: EVERYBODYSAYS DON'T - don't walk on the grass, don't disturb the peace, don't rock the boat. He says: go rightahead and do it.

Act III

Cora may be losing her grip, but, as she tells her council, "I'VE GOT YOU TO LEAN ON". It's somecomfort to know that, if she goes, she won't go alone, she tells them menacingly. Luckily for her,Hapgood is a fraud: he's just another cookie. SEE WHAT IT GETS YOU, Fay reprimands herself.You step out, you give a little - and you're let down. Your hero has feet of clay and you're left alone.But, if nothing else, she's at last begun whistling. Cora, on the other hand, is supervising Dr.Detmold's round-up of the other cookies - she wants them all in gaol, immediately (THE COOKIE


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CHASE). But, aided only by a fake French accent, Fay creates a diversion and foils Cora. Besides, thetourists are all heading over to a neighbouring town where a new "miracle" has taken place. Hapgood,convinced he's a failure, has decided to leave. Fay says he's needed right here. But, whatever elsehappens, in this world WITH SO LITTLE TO BE SURE OF, they had one marvellous moment.They're bidding farewell - or are they? "Hold me," says Fay, as the music swells.

CharactersCORA HOOVERHOOPER

A corrupt small-town Mayoress, who strikes attitudes ratherthan venturing real emotions - which is why whatever shesays is expressed as a musical comedy pastiche.

TREASURERCOOLEY,CHIEFMAGRUDER,COMPTROLLERSCHUB

Cora's Council

FAY APPLE A nurse from the Cookie Jar mental institution.J. BOWENHAPGOOD A doctor - or is he?

DR. DETMOLD Definitely a doctor.BABY JOAN, )

Townsfolk and/or cookies.

MRS SCHROEDER, )GEORGE, )JUNE, )JOHN, )MARTIN, (OSGOOD )CORA'S BOYS )SANDWICH MAN, )OLD LADY, )TELEGRAPHBOYS, )

COOKIES, )NURSES, )DEPUTIES, )TOWNSPEOPLE, )PILGRIMS ANDTOURISTS.

Musical NumbersACT 1


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I'm Like the Bluebird - Company1.Me and My Town - Cora, Boys2.Miracle Song - Cora, Treasurer Cooley, Company3.Simple - J. Bowden Hapgood, Company4.A-1 March - Company5.Come Play Wiz Me - Fay Apple, J. Bowden Hapgood, Boys6.Anyone Can Whistle - Fay Apple7.A Parade in Town - Cora8.Everybody Says Don't - J. Bowden Hapgood9.Ballet - (with 6 variations played by members of the company) - Fay Apple, J. BowdenHapgood, Cookies

10.

ACT 2

I've Got You to Lean On - Cora, Comptroller Schub, Treasurer Cooley, Chief Magruder, Boys1.See What It Gets You - Fay Apple2.The Cookie Chase (Waltzes) - Cora, Fay Apple, Comptroller Schub, Company3.With So Little to Be Sure Of - Fay Apple, J. Bowden Hapgood4.Finale - Company5.

Scenes and Settings3 acts (could be done in 2), 1 back drop against which 4 major units are moved: City Hall(front flies to reveal interior), Hotel Superbe, Miracle Mountain, which revolves to revealhoax, 1 cave ceiling fly-in to mask mountain interior, and Pay's bedroom insert set.

The action takes place in a not too distant town. The time is now.

ACT I

Scene 1: The Town.Scene 2: The Miracle.Scene 3: The Interrogation.Scene 4: The Celebration.Scene 5: The Romance.Scene 6: The Parade.Scene 7: The Release.

ACT II

Scene 1: The Conspiracy.Scene 2: The Confrontation.Scene 3: The Cookie Chase.Scene 4: The Farewell.Scene 5: The End.


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ORCHESTRATION DETAILSREED I - Piccolo, Flute, Alto FluteREED II - Oboe, Cor Anglais, ClarinetREED III - Piccolo, Flute, Baritone Sax, Eh ClarinetREED IV - Flute, Clarinet, Bass ClarinetREED V - Bass Sax, Clarinet, Bassoon2 HORNS3 TRUMPETS2 TROMBONES (2nd opt. TUBA)2 PERCUSSIONPIANO db. CELESTAACCORDION3 CELLIBASS

PERIOD AND COSTUMES:Present, in "a not too distant town's: modern suits, dresses, lingerie, hats executed in colorful fahrics.A feeling of a circus atmosphere is what is desired. Preacher-cut black suit for Treasurer Cooley,Western-flavored sheriff's outfit for Magruder, pinstriped business suit for Comptroller Schub. Doctorand nurse uniforms. Usher uniforms for song/dance boys. Mayoress costuming slightly out-of-date.

CHOREOGRAPHY:Unorthodox modern ballet ranging to modern jazz in rare instances. Two major ballets—"The CookieRelease' and "The Cookie Chase," in which men wear toe shoes, people are thrown through the air,etc., wild sequences in which all the rules are discarded. Both are interworked with dialogue and havea story fine. Also, there are waltzes, a parade, pure ballet, and song-and-dance bits.

LIGHTING AND SPECIAL EFFECTS:Dramatic and some tightly controlled lighting throughout.

NOTES: Anyone Can Whistle (originally titled Side Show) was probably ahead of its time. At leastsome material offended every critic. Many people walked out. But nevertheless it was a masterpiece;an attempt to shake up the musical theatre formula, which, of course, Hair eventually did. Sondheimlater perfected some of the concepts used for Whistle and the result was the successful Company. Thefollowing production notes are Stephen Sondheim's own instructions:

"A Note on the Scenery: The play is written to be performed on a revolving stage against suggestivepieces rather than full, literal sets. The style should be bright, warm, and gay; the colors should be


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almost primary ...

"A Note on the Cast: If the demands of the script were to be taken literally, the play would have to beperformed by a cast of hundreds in an enormous arena—where it would die. Like the scenery, thestaging should suggest, rather than duplicate literally.

"'The many small parts should be performed by a small 'stock company' of five or six versatilemusical actors. Although every possible zany costume device should be used, from wigs andeyeglasses to beards and false noses, there should not be any serious attempt to fool the audience. The'stock company' plus the seven principals should be able to take care of all speaking parts (exceptmere bits) and musical soloists.

"The many extras — rather loosely described as 'townspeople, cookies, tourists, pilgrims' — shouldbe suggested by a small group of good singers and dancers; and, perhaps, by the imaginative use ofdummies.

"A Note on the Play: Because the style is obviously unconventional, do not look for symbols and/orhidden meanings: there are none. What is meant, is said. The main attempt is simply to tell a goodstory in farcical terms with wild (if sometimes vicious) humour and music."

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