The Southwark Playhouse's spring production of Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim's musical Anyone Can Whistle, directed by Georgie Rankcom, officially opens April 5 following previews that began April 1. Performances continue at the London venue through May 7.
Alex Young, who played Young Sally in the National Theatre production of Follies, stars as Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper with Chrystine Symone as Nurse Fay Apple, Jordan Broatch as J. Bowden Hapgood, Danny Lane as Comptroller Schub, Samuel Clifford as Treasurer Cooley, Renan Teodoro as Chief of Police Magrueder, Nathan Taylor as Dr. Detmold, Kathryn Akin as Mrs Schroeder, Marisha Morgan as Baby Joan, Teddy Hinde as John, Hana Ichijo as June, Shane Convery as George, and Jensen Tudtud as Martin.
Watch Young and the company rehearse for the production in the video above. The cast and creative team also discuss how the short-lived 1964 musical seems relevant today, and Young reveals the Schitt's Creek character upon which she based her Cora Hoover Cooper.
The staging also has musical direction by Natalie Pound, choreography by Lisa Stevens, orchestrations by Charlie Ingles, original orchestrations by Don Walker, set and costume design by Cory Shipp, lighting design by Alex Musgrave, and assistant direction by Alex Conder.
With a score by Sondheim and a book by Laurents, Anyone Can Whistle opened at the Majestic Theatre April 4, 1964, with a cast led by multi-Tony winner Angela Lansbury, Lee Remick, Harry Guardino, Gabriel Dell, Arnold Soboloff, James Frawley, Peg Murray, Don Doherty, Sterling Clark, Harvey Evans, Larry Roquemore, and Tucker Smith. Although the political satire played but 21 performances, the Sondheim score contained several exceptional songs, including “Me and My Town,” “There Won’t Be Trumpets,” “Anyone Can Whistle,” “Everybody Says Don’t,” and “With So Little to Be Sure Of.”
The Grey Area and Alex Conder produce the Southwark production.
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