Play It Again: Anyone Can Whistle's "With So Little To Be Sure Of"

 Play It Again:

Anyone Can Whistle's

"With So Little To Be Sure Of"

For this new series, Jeff has invited me to choose some classic Broadway show tunes and compare versions of these songs from several different cast recordings. Wherever possible, I’ll link to the songs on YouTube, where I listen to most of them myself.

This week I (re-)listened to three recordings of “With So Little to Be Sure Of” from Sondheim’s famous and beloved early flop, Anyone Can Whistle. In this song, diffident nurse Fay Apple and jaded ex-idealist J. Bowden Hapgood celebrate their complementary natures, even as they realize that they have to part for now. The influence of Sondheim’s mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II, is apparent in this gorgeous, sprawling, slightly rambling love duet that, but for some slight rhythmic trippiness and piquant Sondheim harmonies, wouldn’t sound all that out of place in a classic R&H show. 

As of 2024, Anyone Can Whistle has only been recorded three times, at fairly regular intervals of about 30 years, including (somewhat miraculously) an original Broadway cast album, a live capture of a star-studded Carnegie Hall concert, and the long-delayed release of JAY’s complete studio recording. Given the recent talk of a high-profile New York revival of this ultimate cult classic, I’m confident we won’t have to wait until 2054 to get a fourth recording.

My overall favorite version is marked with two stars (**); one star (*) is used to indicate that a particular version stands out in terms of singing, orchestra, sound, or other miscellaneous qualities.

ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST (1964) - YouTube

Hapgood: Harry Guardino; Fay: Lee Remick

SINGING: Guardino’s vocals are a disappointment here; his tone is a little stodgy, a few high notes show some strain, and his phrasing is sometimes off (as in “it’s been marvelous to know [breath] you” near the end of the song). Remick is much more secure in her singing and very pleasant to listen to, if not as juicy in her delivery as her successors (though I love how she sings the line “being sure enough of you”). Worst of all, they don’t sound compatible at all when they sing together.

ORCHESTRA: Don Walker’s lovely orchestrations, which foreground fairly active string and woodwind motifs with just a few brass touches, are used for all three recordings, and they sound very good here, played by a rather luxurious, and probably expanded, pit orchestra.

SOUND: The vocals are definitely very forward here, with the orchestra a little muddy and hard to hear against the singers.

MISCELLANEOUS: This version omits the passage sung in counterpoint by Hapgood in the song’s middle section, where Faye sings “Thanks for everything we did.” It also uniquely ends with a fortissimo orchestral recapitulation of the song’s main melodic theme; the others feature a quieter, more theatrical cadence.

CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT (1995) - YouTube

Hapgood: Scott Bakula; Fay: Bernadette Peters

SINGING: Bakula wisely goes for character development rather than vocal perfection, varying his tone and volume between and within phrases; the end result is quite satisfying, though the final held notes of some of the lines are a little too subdued. Peters, in her vocal prime here, is magnificent, and a spot-on choice for this role; Fay’s desperation is palpable in lines like “I guess I need you more than you need me.” Perhaps inevitably, their unison singing is unbalanced, with Peters overpowering Bakula. (I get the impression that this pairing would have been nearly perfect in a full production with more rehearsal time to fix these various issues.)

ORCHESTRA: Surprisingly, the orchestra seems more restrained and less colorful than the original. This could be due, once again, to lack of rehearsal time for a one-off event, or perhaps it’s just an artifact of recording a live performance in a huge concert hall.

SOUND: The sound is fairly clear for a live recording, though the orchestra is again not nearly as clear as the vocalists.

*MISCELLANEOUS: This track begins with a bit of dialogue to set the scene, including Fay’s quotation of a few bars from “Come Play Wiz Me.” The tempo of the song itself feels just slightly, and pleasantly, slower here than on the other two recordings.

**STUDIO CAST RECORDING (2023) - YouTube

Hapgood: John Barrowman; Fay: Maria Friedman

*SINGING: This version features two accomplished singers who are at their best on this recording. Barrowman’s delivery is not as dramatically nuanced as Bakula’s, but he makes up for it by nailing Sondheim’s tricky melodic contours and maintaining vocal power throughout the sometimes long musical phrases. Friedman is perfect vocally and her characterization is heartbreaking; when she sings “I need you more than I can say,” you can hear both Fay’s sincerity and her fear at the prospect of exposing herself emotionally like this. The two singers sound sublime together, whether singing in counterpoint or in unison at the song’s climax.

*ORCHESTRA: The full symphony orchestra allows for all layers to be heard more fully; some small details that are lost on the other recordings come across vividly here. The orchestral swells at the end of Hapgood’s verse and near the end of the song add a nice sense of drama.

*SOUND: The recording is very clear and generally well-balanced, though Barrowman’s vocals are a little too overpowering in a few spots.

MISCELLANEOUS: A fuller version of the pre-song dialogue (and Fay’s mini-reprise of “Come Play Wiz Me”) is included on the track.

CD REVIEW: Jay Records' Anyone Can Whistle

I have long held a fascination with Anyone Can Whistle. The Original Cast Recording was the second Sondheim album I ever bought (Sweeney Todd was the first). And, like most Sondheim shows, it was a lot to take in, and the synopsis offered little help. But I loved the weird sound of it, and the task of trying to unravel the puzzle of the lyrics. "Simple" remains a favorite enigma of mine. Each subsequent recording only added to the mystery and the fun. The CD release of the OBCR offered nicer sound and bonus tracks, while the Carnegie Hall Concert recording offered new takes on familiar tunes and even more music. (Bernadette Peters and Scott Bakula were particularly charming, and I wish Angela Lansbury had reprised her role instead of just narrating.)

CD Review:

Jay Records' Anyone Can Whistle

Now, 23 years after they began recording it, Jay Records has finally released the ultimate recording for true fans, one the purports to contain every note of music from the production. On two discs that run just under two hours, you really do get it all. In addition to the songs, there are overtures/preludes, incidental music (one assumes they accompanied scene changes) and underscoring. Throughout, there is plenty of dialogue to help put the story together, and even snippets of narration provided by book writer Arthur Laurents himself.

Let me say from the outset, that this is a superlative recording. The quality is absolutely first-rate. The National Symphony Orchestra brings a fullness and vitality to the music that has heretofore been largely missing. Of course, that's no slight or fault to the original as recording methods and quality have exponentially improved since 1964. The ensemble of 26 certainly adds to the group numbers, and sings beautifully. The supporting cast of 13 provides very well-defined characters - no small achievement given the chaos of the book. The three principals, some of Britain's most accomplished musical theater artists also do well, though I'll admit I had to listen more than once to warm up to Julia McKenzie's villainous Mayoress Cooper, and though she'll never match Angela Lansbury in my estimation, she really is quite good. John Barrowman also sings his role - the pretend Doctor Hapgood - well, and his acting is fine. Truth be told, any number of actors could have done as well, if not better. The best of the three by far is Maria Friedman, who, as Fay Apple, is a heady mix of insecurity, indignation and coy sophistication. She pretty much oozes charm right out of the speakers, and her voice is wonderful.

     

Julia McKenzie & Maria Friedman

The booklet that comes with the CD version offers a very detailed synopsis, and a terrific essay. That essay, which details how relevant Whistle is to our current times, is particularly interesting to me, as when Mike and I were listening to it, we kept pointing out specific lines and themes that sounded very Trump era/alternative facts/anti-science. Over and over, we kept saying that this show, with some fine tuning of the book, could certainly make a poignant parable for the decade in which we live. How cool to open the booklet and find such validation.

Ultimately, this should come as no surprise to Sondheim fans and musical theater fans/scholars: Anyone Can Whistle 57 years ago was way ahead of its time. And the fact that the story and themes seem "ripped from today's headlines" makes it ripe for revival and a full production. Adding to this new awareness is that the show is a meshing of modern themes and sound, and roots firmly in old school musical theater with its three act structure and use of ballets to extend and comment on the story.

We've waited nearly a quarter century for a full recording. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too much longer for a full scale revival. On the other hand, anything we get is really a bonus. How many shows that ran 9 performances get this much attention?

#2500

#TBT: 1964 OBCR: Anyone Can Whistle

Haven't talked much about the great Stephen Sondheim in awhile, and I've really missed his work. I've seen productions of all but four of his shows; only Saturday Night, The Frogs, Do I Hear a Waltz?, and Anyone Can Whistle stand between me and the "complete Sondheim Collection." But any true Sondheim fan will tell you, you don't have to have seen the show to appreciate his work.  That is certainly the case with Whistle, which has one of my favorite scores, and contains a few of my favorite songs from his entire catalog. So, today, I turn back the clock and share my thoughts about the Original Broadway Cast Recording from 1964.

Seven years after West Side Story, just two seasons post-Forum (his first solo effort), and six years before his golden age began with Company, this show looked great on paper - Sondheim was fresh off a hit show, the book and direction were by the legendary Arthur Laurents, and the design team had William and Jean Eckart (sets), Theoni V. Aldredge (costumes) and Jules Fisher (lighting), all masters in their fields. The amazing orchestrations are by one of the greatest of all time, Don Walker. (Look up his credits - you will be in awe!) On the other hand, the three leads, Harry Guardino, Lee Remick and Angela Lansbury, were already established Broadway actors, but all three were making their musical debuts with this show. History, of course, shows that all three went on to big careers on stage and screen. But in 1964, it was a fair gamble to have their names above the title.

Angela Lansbury as Cora Hoover Hooper

Turns out the biggest gamble was the show itself. An odd story, that included a scene where the lights went out and came up on the cast sitting in theater seats watching the audience, probably didn't cause great word of mouth. And the score, which today we'd say is typical Sondheim, was probably hard for audiences who were in love with Hello, Dolly!, which opened directly across the street a few months earlier. Today, we say things like, "it was ahead of its time."

Harry Guardino as J. Bowden Hapgood
Lee Remick as Nurse Fay Apple

My favorite songs include the great overture, the sharp "Me and My Town," the sweet, sad "Anyone Can Whistle," the rueful "Parade in Town," and the catchy, reflective "Everybody Says Don't." And I would kill to see "Simple" fully staged. It goes without saying that I love every single second that Ms. Lansbury is heard, and Ms. Remick offers a dramatic turn throughout. Aside from Lansbury, only Mr. Guardino appeared in another musical (Kander and Ebb's Woman of the Year), and here shows why it is a shame he didn't do more musicals.

Revisiting the CD for this column has put Anyone Can Whistle back in my show tunes rotation. Sometimes, I also play the more complete concert version. Both are terrific, but there is something to be said about the original. Here's hoping a good show doctor and/or director can put this tale of fake news, hypocritical religion, corrupt government, and mass insanity on the stage. Sounds remarkably relevant to me.

A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT ANYONE CAN WHISTLE...

• It is Sondheim's shortest running Broadway shows with just 12 previews and 9 performances.
• Aside from special presentations, it is the shortest running musical to ever play the Majestic Theatre.
• The show opened April 4, 1964 and closed April 11, 1964.
• The show did receive 1 Tony Award nomination - for Herbert Ross' choreography.
• The show was performed in three acts.
• The cast included some of Broadway's greatest ensemblists, including Harvey Evans, Arnold Soboloff, Peg Murray, Barbara Lang and Patricia "Pat" Kelly. Collectively, they have appeared in just about every golden age musical.

More pictures from the 1964 production:

#1991

Musical Words of Wisdom: The Sondheim Musicals

Just over a month ago, I posted a blog of words of wisdom and witty, creatively stated ideas from the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Today, here are just some of the many you have sent in (along with a few of my favorites) from the musicals of Stephen Sondheim.

There were so many, it really was hard to choose, so below are the ones I think are the most clever, most meaningful; but most of all, these are the ones that most of you repeated.  Clearly, some of these quotes mean a lot to many of us.

Here is a quote, sometimes two, from each of his Broadway shows. Some are my contributions, others are singular submissions from one person, and others are quotes sent in from several of you. In the interest of fairness, I will attribute the quotes to no one, except the lyricists themselves. I think they are all kind of catchy and all of them at least clever and thought-provoking.

I have included more than a couple from the most quoted of his shows, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Into the Woods.  Not surprising, really.  What does surprise me is how many I got from Merrily We Roll Along!

And I am still collecting your quotes from the musicals of Kander and Ebb!

Anyone Can Whistle

• "Crazy business, this, this life we live in - Can't complain about the time we're given - With so little to be sure of in this world." 

Assassins

• "Everybody's got the right to their dreams."

Company

• "Everybody rise!  Rise!  Rise!  Rise!  Rise! Rise!  Rise!"
• "But alone is alone, not alive."
• "And that's what it's all about isn't it? Company!  Lots of company!  Life is company!  Love is company!  Company!"

Follies

• "The things that I want, I don't seem to get, The things that I get...well, you know what I mean?"
• "Sometimes when all the wrappings fall there's nothing underneath at all."

Gypsy

• "Some people sit on their butts. Got the dream, yeah, but not the guts!”

Into the Woods

• "Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor."
• "I was taught to be charming not sincere."
• "We disappoint. We Disappear. We die, but we don't."
• "Isn't it nice to know a lot? And a little bit not."
• "Someone is on your side, Someone else is not. While we're seeing our side maybe we forgot: they are not alone. No one is alone."
• "Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell. Children will listen."

A Little Night Music

• "I frequently laugh myself to sleep contemplating my own future."
• "Isn't it rich? Are we a pair?"

Merrily We Roll Along

• "Dreams don't die so keep an eye on your dreams."
• "And a friendship's like a garden: you have to water it, and tend it, and care for it. And I want it back."
• "Okay, so now you know, life is crummy."
• "Some rides are rough and leave you jumpy, why make it tough by getting grumpy?"
• "Success is like failure - It's how you perceive it, It's what you do with it, Not how you achieve it"
• "You need a tune you can hum."

Passion

• "Why is love so easy to give, and so hard to receive?"
• "They hear drums. We hear music. Be my friend..."
• "Just another love story, that's what they would claim. Another simple love story. Aren't all of them the same?"

Sunday in the Park with George

• "The choice may have been mistaken, the choosing was not. You have to move on."
• "We do not belong together, and we should have belonged together. What made it so right together is what made it all wrong."
• "There are only two worthwhile things to leave behind when we depart this world of ours: children and art."

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

• "Don't you know, silly man, half the fun is to plan the plan?  All good things come to those who can...wait."
• "We'll not discriminate great from small.  No, we'll serve anyone - meaning anyone - and to anyone at all!"
• "Eat them slow, 'cos that's the lot and now we've sold it!  Come again tomorrow!  Hold it! ("More hot pies!") Bless my eyes! ("Right this way, Sir!") Fresh supplies!"
• "Being close and being clever ain't like being true."
• "No one can help, nothing can hide you -- isn't that Sweeney there beside you?"

Rate this blog below, and leave your comments here, by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!

Jeff

3.025

Bits and Pieces for 03.21.10

Another week down!  This week is all about the boys... enjoy!

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED

• Broadway Ladies: Ms. March 2010
• Back in Time: 1993 - 1994: The Who's Tommy
• Reality Broadway
• LOGOS: Sondheim on Sondheim
• Broadway Crossword by Blog: The Divas, Part 3
• Looking Back: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE GETTING READY TO BLOW

The stars are lining up to join the limited run revival of Anyone Can Whistle.  Joining Tony-winners Donna Murphy and Sutton Foster are Tony nominees Raul Esparza (himself a reason to see this) and Jeff Blumenkrantz, plus the always enjoyable Edward Hibbert and John Ellison Conlee.  With multiple Tony-nominee Casey Nicholaw directing this pretty amazing cast, could it be that they are thinking this could be the next show to move to Broadway like Finian's Rainbow?  Since Whistle now stands as the only Sondheim show not revived on Broadway, it just may be.  Keep your fingers crossed!

HANG IT UP, MEL!

The failure of Young Frankenstein apparently wasn't enough to put Mel Brooks off from trying again.  Reports have surfaced that he is hard at work on Blazing Saddles: The New Mel Brooks Musical. Ick.  With The Producers ranking as one of Broadway's biggest over-hyped, over-praised musicals ever, I guess Brooks thinks he's still the King of Broadway.  Why else would his name have to be in the title?  I wonder how the fart scene will play to the matinee ladies?  Maybe they can borrow the fart sounds used in Shrek.

9 to 5 TOUR GETS NEW BOSS!

The forthcoming national tour of 9 to 5: The Musical is getting a new head honcho, though I doubt the old boss, Joe Mantello was an egotistcal, sexist bastard (I hear he's a decent guy).  But a new (and rumored to be equally nice) guy is coming in to spruce up the office before it hits the road: Jeff Calhoun, maybe best known for the 1994 revival of Grease!, and later staging such shows as Deaf West's Big River, and most recently, Grey Gardens.  A protege of the great Tommy Tune, he worked with the tall Texan on Grease!,  The Will Rogers Follies, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, and they were both in My One and Only together back in the 80's.  And how charming that in the the announcement, Calhoun professes his awe of Dolly Parton, having danced in the film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  Sounds like a match made in heaven to me.

JK's THEATRESCENE HITS TWO MILESTONES THIS WEEK!

Has this little blog finally arrived?  My review of Yank! has an official link on the Yank! Website... pretty cool!  That show is so far extended through April 4.  Don't miss it!

And the second milestone is revealed below!

BROADWAY BY NUMBERS
6: Divas in Red at The Stephen Sondheim Philharmonic Birthday Celebration.  Plus several other divas, not in red!
200: The number of blogs written for JK's TheatreScene (as of 03/17/2010)!  Thank you for your support!

Happy Birthday Last Week to:

 

• 3/14: Tamara Tunie
• 3/15: Judd Hirsch
• 3/16: Victor Garber
• 3/17: Gary Sinise
• 3/18: Vanessa Williams
• 3/19: Glenn Close
• 3/20: Chip Zien (right)

Comments?  Leave one here or email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com
Jeff