Anyone Can Whistle

Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle at The Union Theatre

A rare revival of a cult Sondheim musical heads to London's Fringe.

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

The Union Theatre has announced an upcoming revival of a rarely seen Stephen Sondheim musical - Anyone Can Whistle - which is set to play the South-East London venue from 8th February to 11th March 2017.

Featuring music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, along with a book by Arthur Laurents and orchestrations by Don Walker, Anyone Can Whistle tells the story of a town and a manufactured miracle. As the town becomes utterly bankrupt, its Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper decides the only way to save it is to have her town council fake a miracle to attract tourists to the area. The miracle comes in the form of water flowing from a rock. Meanwhile a love story emerges between fake psychiatrist J. Bowden Hapgood and Nurse Fay Apple, in disguise as a "miracle verifier" sent from Lourdes, amidst the chaos of an outbreak from the local assylum.

The score contains such classic Sondheim numbers as "Me and My Town," "There Won't be Trumpets," "Everybody Says Don't," "With So Little to be Sure Of," and "Anyone Can Whistle."

This production is helmed by Phil Willmott and features musical direction by Richard Baker, costume design by Penn O'Gara, and choreography by Holly Hughes.

Anyone Can Whistle was last produced in the UK six years ago. The show premiered on Broadway in 1964 and became one of Sondheim's biggest flops to date. However, thanks to a cast recording, the musical has since garnered a cult status among avid musical theatre fans.

 

Originally published on

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