Stage Review - Anyone Can Whistle (Reboot Theatre)
Stage Review - Anyone Can Whistle
Presented By: Reboot Theatre - Theatre Off Jackson, Seattle, WA
Show Run: March 08 - March 23, 2024
Date Reviewed: Thursday, March 14, 2024
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman
When one considers the work of the late great Stephen Sondheim, most likely the titles Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Company, and A Little Night Music come to mind. There are plenty of others as well, shows that have become part of the fabric of musical theatre. One show, though, that doesn’t get a lot of attention is Anyone Can Whistle. Anyone Can Whistle is Sondheim’s fifth listed work, and just the second in his career in which he wrote both the music and lyrics. With a book by Arthur Laurents, who also collaborated on the previous West Side Story, the show lasted just nine performances (after 12 previews) on Broadway and featured the stage debut of the great Angela Lansbury. There’s been a bit of a cult following for this show, but it’s still never garnered the attention that many of his other works have. But that’s where Reboot Theatre comes in. As a company who prides itself on performing lesser known works with diverse and non-traditional casting, they chose Anyone Can Whistle as the show to run in honor of Sondheim following his death. This production, directed by Jasmine Joshua and onstage at the Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle through March 23, is chock full of whimsy, catchy songs with a Sondheim flair that also harken back to the golden age of Broadway, and performances so good that Sondheim himself would be proud of.
Anyone Can Whistle debuted on Broadway in 1964, and perhaps a reason for its short run is steeped in the subject matter contained in the show. The musical has an anti-conformity bent, as well as a feminist-adjacent tone to it. These are not topics that were traditionally discussed or presented in the mainstream at the time, or outside of certain areas around the country. It could also account for its lack of a foothold in the theatre community since. While it’s Broadway track record certainly doesn’t help, both topically and stylistically Anyone Can Whistle is a product of its time, and as such can seem a bit dated. That said, beyond those themes I mentioned previously, it does address more topical subject, such as religion, mental health, greed and power, and individualism, the art of being oneself.
The Reboot Theatre production stays true to Sondheim’s vision for the show, it doesn’t harp on the issues, rather it presents them in a fun and entertaining way, and while the production design screams of Sondheim’s 1964, it feels more nostalgic than dated. The set is a simple one and represents the town where the story takes place, a town down on its luck and down on its money, with no visitors to speak of and no discernible amount of money in its coffers. The town’s mayor, is looking to change that, and along with her cabinet of oddities, the police chief, treasurer, and comptroller, devises a plan to manufacture a miracle, both to bring in visitors to the town and to instill a level of confidence of her leadership by her citizens. Meanwhile, she’s collected said citizens, those who have in the past expressed a desire to live outside of her bounds of conformity, and put them in an insane asylum, called the cookie jar, its patients being her “cookies”. Running the cookie jar are Dr. Detmold and Nurse Fay Apple, the latter a conformist who manages the patients as though they are truly mentally ill, when of course, they’re not. There’s a carnival atmosphere to Garrett Dill’s production design, and the set, which has a city hall and a hotel flanking each side of a center piece that represents the city’s clock tower, reflects this with pieces that are designed with a cartoon flair. The central piece it turns out, though, has a few surprises up its sleeve, which director Jasmine Joshua and choreographer Harry Turpin take full advantage of, especially considering the smallish size of the stage at the Theatre Off Jackson and the size of this cast, topping out at 16, if you include a cleverly used puppet. On the topic of choreography, this is a very active show, there’s a lot of movement to it, and most of the musical numbers involve at least part of the ensemble. Harry’s work here is very good, his steps and movements are creative and the small stage never feels cramped. Following suit on Jasmine Joshua’s design is the costume design of Krista Lofgren. Krista’s costumes easily and consistently capture the whimsical feel of the show’s design while being varied enough to differentiate between the characters. Rounding out the creative team are are Jacob Viramontes (lighting) and Kairon Bullock (sound). The entire creative team has done a nice job here, understanding the space and its uniqueness to present a show that is big, but never feels bulky.
It’s the performances in Anyone Can Whistle that stand above everything else, though. Knowing how difficult much of the Sondheim musical library is to sing, this cast does a phenomenal job. It starts with the town’s mayor, or mayoress as she’s referred. Although her actions drive much of the plot, in the end it’s not really her story. Here Shana Emile plays Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper, and her performance is strong and confident, with a voice that is soulful and emotive. Shana’s Cora is greedy, power hungry, and out for one thing, for her town to succeed as long as she’s given credit for it. Her cabinet, some might say hench people, include June Apollo Johns as Comptroller Schub, Robin Lagenhop as Treasurer Cooley, and Max Lopuszynski as Police Chief Magruder. Each of these characters are, indeed, characters, every one of them hapless when it comes to their jobs, but loyal to their boss, almost to a fault. Schub is the Mayoress’ right hand, and June’s portrayal is every bit as funny as any other in the show. Each of these actors are excellent in support of their boss, and from a performance perspective, they handle Karlee Bolme’s music direction and Harry’s choreography expertly. Others in the supporting cast include David Berryman as Dr. Detmold and Cynthia Dario-Good as Mrs. Schroeder. Cynthia spends more time in this show as part of the ensemble than in character as Mrs. Schroeder, but in both cases, the vocal talent she displays is as good as any here. It’s the kind of talent that provides a certain degree of stage presence, even when the actor is not in a lead role.
As I mentioned, the plot is driven mainly by the actions of the Mayoress and her staff, however the transformational nature of Anyone Can Whistle really centers on two characters, Nurse Fay Apple and J. Bowden Hapgood. Anamaria Guerzon plays Fay Apple in a stellar performance. The character starts out conforming to the rules of the town, accepting what is without questioning, until she meets Rhys Daly’s Hapgood, a mysterious stranger who comes to town and throws everyone’s world into a tizzy with his fresh new perspective. Anamaria’s Fay blooms in this role at the side of Hapgood, though it happens gradually and not without some resistance. It’s a nice bit of acting, and an even better bit of singing. Perhaps the best example of how good Anamaria is her version of the title song “Anyone Can Whistle”. It should also be noted in the Thursday performance I attended a moment early on when she clearly struggled with her voice during a piece of dialogue, that sort of thing when normally one would grab a glass of water, or clear their throat, but you can’t do that in live theatre, especially when the dialogue is set to a rhythm. Kudos to Anamaria for muscling through and carrying on. I’m not sure I could have done as well. As Hapgood is the influence in Fay’s transformation, Rhys Daly is the one responsible for bringing that to the fore. He is a fantastic foil for Anamaria’s Fay and his work here as Hapgood is big, it’s bold, and it’s very solid. He’s also an excellent singer, and when his Hapgood shares scenes with anyone, whether it be Fay, Cora, or the ensemble, his harmonies are spot on, and when Hapgood shares a tender moment with Fay, his character’s tenderness shines through. These two are very good individually, but even better together.
Anyone Can Whistle creatively captures the wonderful Sondheim magic that we’ve all come to know and love over the years, and definitely miss with his passing. The Reboot Theatre production features a talented cast with top flight performances and a production design that is fun and fanciful. A show like this proves that sometimes not doing the familiar, but rather doing something completely unexpected is the surprise that we all need.
Anyone Can Whistle, presented by Reboot Theatre, runs on stage at the Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle through March 23. For more information and tickets, visit https://reboottheatre.org/.
Photo credit: Colin Madison Photography
