Overview
Synopsis
What is insanity? For corrupt Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper and her cronies, it is a threat to money-making scheme for the bankrupt town. When water suddenly springs from a rock, Cora sets her sights on making money from pilgrims desperate to receive the healing waters. But when Nurse Fay Apple, the dedicated and skeptical nurse of the local insane asylum, brings her patients to the so-called miracle, Cora’s plans are threatened and she turns to psychiatrist J. Bowden Hapgood to straighten out who is mad and who is sane. But he instead declares everyone insane, and the town enjoys its madness in the face of conformity. An early musical from Stephen Sondheim’s canon, Anyone Can Whistle is a satirical and absurdist romp about falling in line vs. being whimsically free.
Show Information
- Book
- Arthur Laurents
- Music
- Stephen Sondheim
- Lyrics
- Stephen Sondheim
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1964
- Genres
- Dark Comedy, Romance
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- Present day, small town
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Medium
- Dancing
- Heavy
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Young Adult, Child Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Bass-Baritone |
Songs
- I'm Like the Bluebird — Company
- *Me and My Town — Cora Hoover Hooper and Boys
- *Miracle Song — Cora Hoover Hooper, Treasurer Cooley, Townspeople, Tourists and Pilgrims
- There Won't Be Trumpets - Fay Apple
- *Simple — J. Bowden Hapgood and Company
- A-1 March — Company
- Come Play Wiz Me — Fay Apple, J. Bowden Hapgood and Boys
- Anyone Can Whistle — Fay Apple
- *A Parade In Town — Cora Hoover Hooper
- Everybody Says Don't — J. Bowden Hapgood
- *Don't Ballet (Instrumental) - Orchestra
- *I've Got You to Lean On — Cora Hoover Hooper, Comptroller Schub, Treasurer Cooley, Chief Magruder and Boys
- See What It Gets You — Fay Apple
- Anyone Can Whistle (Reprise) - Fay Apple
- *Cora's Chase (The Cookie Chase) - Company
- I'm Like the Bluebird (Reprise 1) - Cookies
- With So Little to Be Sure Of — Fay Apple and J. Bowden Hapgood
- *I've Got You to Lean On (Reprise) - Cora and Hoover Hooper and Comptroller Schub
- I'm Like the Bluebird (Reprise 2) - Cookies
- Finale Ultimo (Instrumental) — Orchestra
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
References an era of book musicals written roughly between the 1940s and the 1960s.
A Broadway musical written and produced between 1943 and 1965.
Videos
Quizzes
Sorry! We do not currently have quizzes for this guide.
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Quote Analysis
Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.
Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress