"Anyone Can Whistle"

[Lankypeters]

....at Encores!

 

Director's point of view was sharp and consistent and the performances by the three leads -- Esparza, Murphy and Foster -- were excellent. Murphy owned the stage during her opening number and I thought I was about to see an overlooked gem.

 

Then the book set in. Muddled, confusing, pretentious. There are no characters in it, just figures. And -- sorry guys -- I think Sondheim is largely a stranger to melody and his neuroses, like Woody Allen's, begin to tire after all these years. I realize among Sondheim's thousands of acolytes, this statement is tantamount to heresy -- like criticizing Barbra Streisand.

 

The fundamental things apply: a flop is still a flop.

 

Murphy sings and moves beautifully and has razor sharp timing. But I've always thought she lacks glamour. This was especially the case in "Wonderful Town." She was on the mark, yet compared to Roz......no fashion plate.

 

And Esparza had better be careful about that waist line.

[uwsman2]

sondheim becoming sondheim

 

Anyone Can Whistle is very early Sondheim, barely sounding like the composer of all the hits until well into the second act, when there are finally a few songs that verge on sounding characteristic. Agreed, he is not primarily a melodist - instead, his great skill is uncovering the inner rhythm of a text and projecting it in a musical line that is actually more about the text than about melody. Some songwriters are mainly inventing a tune and the words follow along; others achieve a great combination of terrific melody completely integrated with text; and then there's the Sondheim school, which is text uber alles.

[edjames]

While the score from Anyone Can Whistle is very lovely, Steve admits in the video footage in Sondheim On Sondheim that the show is "OK" (paraphrasing). He reveals he did the show as a favor to Oscar Hammerstein who asked him to step in and collaborate with Richard Rodgers.

 

Still, the Encores! version did get a terrific NY Times review!

 

Yes, I agree, Raul is getting chubby! I wonder if he's found a "hubby?

 

ED

[Guest alanm]

While the score from Anyone Can Whistle is very lovely, Steve admits in the video footage in Sondheim On Sondheim that the show is "OK" (paraphrasing). He reveals he did the show as a favor to Oscar Hammerstein who asked him to step in and collaborate with Richard Rodgers.

 

I must be one of the few people who loves "Anyone Can Whistle." I know it is unlikely, but would love to hear a CD of one of this weekend's performances.

 

Sondheim and Rodgers worked together on "Do I Hear a Waltz?" not "Anyone Can Whistle." But, I do understand the mistake, both shows were failures and are relatively early Sondheim.

[body2body]

There was a fully staged revival of "Anyone Can Whistle" at one of the small (but not equity waiver small) L.A. Theaters about 10 years ago. The show was well done, but the weakness of book showed up and could not be ingnored. The ensemble numbers were fabulous. However, in the end, I understood why it failed. When you listen to a score on a recording, it sounds brilliant, but you are only seeing part of the picture.

 

Two years ago I flew to London to see "Candide" at the ENO, and once again after listening to the brilliant score for years, I realized that the original audiences were right, it was a grand and, at times wonderful mess. These legendary flops were flops for a reason.

[Lankypeters]

"......flops for a reason."

 

There was a fully staged revival of "Anyone Can Whistle" at one of the small (but not equity waiver small) L.A. Theaters about 10 years ago. The show was well done, but the weakness of book showed up and could not be ingnored. The ensemble numbers were fabulous. However, in the end, I understood why it failed. When you listen to a score on a recording, it sounds brilliant, but you are only seeing part of the picture.

 

Two years ago I flew to London to see "Candide" at the ENO, and once again after listening to the brilliant score for years, I realized that the original audiences were right, it was a grand and, at times wonderful mess. These legendary flops were flops for a reason.

 

"Flops for a reason" indeed. You are so right. For years I listened to the score from "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," unable to see why it had closed after a short run. Then I saw the Encores! production and understood. The book lacks focus and the central love story is hackneyed. Another case in point is "Greenwillow."

 

There are also stories always circulating about great numbers or scenes cut from films. "The Wizard of Oz" had a number in it called "Jitterbug Land." I heard it was terrific but it was cut because it was too frightening for kids. Bollocks! I finally saw it in an anthology and ..... it's a weak number, entirely pedestrian and way, way below the inspired scenes in the rest of the film. And then there are the tales about "Mr. Monotony," the Irving Berlin that never made it into the final cut or final version of one of his films or plays. Check it out in "That's Entertainment III." Boooooorrrrrrinnnnng.

[skynyc]

Agree and disagree

 

I went to ACW this weekend, and agree with Lanky that the performances were terrific. Love his comparison to complaining about Sondheim to the acolytes with Streisand-mania, and agree that the book was pretty convoluted. I actually went with a friend who was in the original company and it was fun seeing it through his eyes. I disagree that Donna was without glamour. I thought all three of the leads were terrific. I was thrilled to see so much of the dancing. I also disagree that SS is "largely a stranger to melody", the title song and With So Little to be Sure are both lovely tunes. And it didn't matter to me that Hapgood, (Esparza) was a little meatier. Not sure why that's worth comment.

But it is easy to see why this was a flop. Seeing as most of the more accessible music is in the second act, in 1964, before Mr. Sondheim was "Mr. Sondheim", I can guess that folks left in droves at intermission.

I imagine Ms. Lansbury went to the show last night. She is a huge theater-goer, and I have seen her at many Monday night performances when A Little Night Music was dark.

Alanm, I agree, that it would be wonderful if they made a CD of this version.

And I think I saw the LA production...did Ruth Williamson play Cora Hoover Hooper? Or am I making that up?

I heard a story about Sondheim writing "There's a Parade in Town" in response to "Before the Parade Passes By" and have to wonder if it is true.

[Guest alanm]

There was a fully staged revival of "Anyone Can Whistle" at one of the small (but not equity waiver small) L.A. Theaters about 10 years ago. The show was well done, but the weakness of book showed up and could not be ingnored. The ensemble numbers were fabulous. However, in the end, I understood why it failed. When you listen to a score on a recording, it sounds brilliant, but you are only seeing part of the picture.

 

These legendary flops were flops for a reason.

 

Good point. My only "Anyone Can Whistle" was the Carnegie Hall staged reading fifteen years ago with major performers in the lead roles and brief periodic comments from Lansbury pulling the story together. With less powerhouse stars, the flaws in the book would almost certainly have been more obvious.

[Lankypeters]

ACW, cont.

 

@skynyc: read Arthur Laurents' account of the show in his book, "On Directing." He says Lansbury signed for the show, then wanted to withdraw and had to be coaxed back onboard. When she rejoined, she asked for another number and they came up with the "Parade" song. "Whistle" went into rehearsal early in '64, about the same time "Dolly" opened (in Janurary). One wonders if Sondheim, Lansbury or anyone had yet heard "Parade Passes By." Possible they worked fast.

 

Either Laurents or Mordden quotes Lansbury as recalling ACW was "a great show for people shouting up and down the aisles."

 

Another great tidbit from Laurents: the first day of rehearsals he took Lee Remick to lunch. She looked him square in the eye and said, "If Angela Lansbury walks off with the reviews in Philadelphia, I walk."

 

And an even greater tidbit from someone who worked on the original production: One day in rehearsal Harry Guardino shouted, "I feel like there's a boil on the head of my cock and everyone's trying to jerk me off!"

[Guest alanm]

"Whistle" went into rehearsal early in '64' date=' about the same time "Dolly" opened (in Janurary). One wonders if Sondheim, Lansbury or anyone had yet heard "Parade Passes By." Possible they worked fast.[/quote']

 

More parades.

 

"Funny Girl" was either in rehearsal or had started out of town tryouts around that time, and, of course, also has a parade song.

[Lankypeters]

More parades.

 

"Funny Girl" was either in rehearsal or had started out of town tryouts around that time, and, of course, also has a parade song.

 

And, earlier, there's "Seventy Six Trombones," and many, many others marching along. Perhaps they worked against the idea of upbeat ("I Love a") parade songs.

[body2body]

And I think I saw the LA production...did Ruth Williamson play Cora Hoover Hooper? Or am I making that up?

 

You are not making it up, the production was at the Matrix Theater and Ruth Williamson did indeed play Cora Hoover Hooper, and quite well too.