History Theatre / AnyoneCanWhistle

''Anyone Can Whistle'' is a three-act musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and music and lyrics by Music/StephenSondheim. It was the second show to feature Sondheim writing his own music as well as lyrics.

* HurricaneOfAphorisms: "Simple."

The musical was a notorious flop, plagued by problems throughout rehearsal (including a cast member dying), and ran only 9 performances, but has been somewhat VindicatedByHistory, at least as a CultClassic, thanks in part to a 1995 all-star benefit recording.

''Anyone Can Whistle'' is a three-act musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and music and lyrics by StephenSondheim. It was the second show to feature Sondheim writing his own music as well as lyrics.

* CutSong: A few, including "There Won't Be Trumpets" (which was re-added to the licensed score), "There's Always a Woman," "The Lame, The Halt, and the Blind," and an alternate version of "With So Little To Be Sure Of."

* NobodyTouchesTheHair: Fay shouts, "Not my hair!" when Hapgood tries to remove her wig. Subverted in that it's [[CaptainObvious not actually her hair]].

* ActorAllusion: In the 1995 concert production, Creator/AngelaLansbury (as the narrator) said, "Thirty-one years ago, I was a mayoress of just such a town... for a very ''short'' term.

-->Hapgood: It's not your hair, it's a wig.
-->Fay: How do you know?
-->Hapgood: You told me!
-->Fay: I was lying!

* RockOfLimitlessWater - The supposed "miracle". Subverted in that it's being pumped in from behind the scenes.
** [[spoiler:Played straight when [[EmpathicEnvironment Fay finally manages to whistle and is reunited with Hapgood]].]]

* ActorAllusion: In the 1995 concert production, AngelaLansbury (as the narrator) said, "Thirty-one years ago, I was a mayoress of just such a town... for a very ''short'' term.

It tells the story of a destitute town, run by the corrupt mayor Cora Hoover Hooper (the musical stage debut of AngelaLansbury), who has a ZeroPercentApprovalRating aside from three other officials. They need a way to earn revenue, so they figure it out - a fake miracle, of water gushing from a rock. It draws in tourists and pilgrims and is a smashing success until nurse Fay Apple, who works at the local insane asylum, wants the "miracle water" for the patients. Soon, the loonies start mingling with the pilgrims, and they can't sort out who is who.

** [[spoiler:Played straight at the end.]]

* {{Troll}}: Sondheim speculates part of the reason that the show flopped was because it made fun of the audience. "Simple" is one huge exercise in trolling from Hapgood, both towards the other characters and to the audience. You might call it ''Troll: The Musical.''

* CrowdSong: "Miracle Song," "Simple," "The A-1 March," and part of "The Cookie Chase."

* FifteenMinutesOfFame: The result of the fake miracle.

--?Fay: How do you know?
Hapgood: You told me!
Fay: I was lying!

It tells the story of a destitute town, run by the corrupt mayor Cora Hoover Hooper (the musical stage debut of AngelaLansbury), who has a ZeroPercentApprovalRating. She and her cronies need a way to earn revenue, so they figure it out - a fake miracle, of water gushing from a rock. It draws in tourists and pilgrims and is a smashing success until nurse Fay Apple, who works at the local insane asylum, wants the "miracle water" for the patients. Soon, the loonies start mingling with the pilgrims, and they can't sort out who is who.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: Cora

* AltoVillainess: Cora

* ImplausibleDeniability: Hapgood: It's not your hair, it's a wig.\\
Fay: How do you know?\\
Hapgood: You told me!\\

The musical was a notorious flop, plagued by problems throughout rehearsal (including a cast member dying), and ran only 9 performances.

* ActorAllusion: In the 1995 concert production, AngelaLansbury (as the narrator) said, "Thirty-one years ago, I was a mayoress of just such a town... for a very "italic"short"italic" term.

* Fauxreigner: Fay pretends to be from France.

* Actor Allusion: In the 1995 concert production, AngelaLansbury (as the narrator) said, "Thirty-one years ago, I was a mayoress of just such a town... for a very "italic"short"italic" term.

** [[spoiler:hide this text]]Played straight at the end. [[/spoiler:hide this text]]