The concert performance took place last night, March 10.
Last night, March 10, 2022, the concert production of MasterVoices' performance of Anyone Can Whistle, took the stage at Carnegie Hall.
The performance starred Vanessa Williams in the role of a corrupt mayor of a small economically depressed American town. Joining her were Elizabeth Stanley, Tony Award winner Santino Fontana, Douglas Sills, Eddie Cooper, and Michael Mulheren. The show was narrated by Joanna Gleason. It was directed and conducted by MasterVoices Artistic Director Ted Sperling.
Check out photos from the production below!
In the early 1960s Sondheim and Laurents set out to satirize the loss of individuality in the Eisenhower years with a free-wheeling production that would also break with the conventions of musicals of the era. The 1964 show revealed early signs of Sondheim's rebel genius as it skewered many targets, revealing what can happen when a community puts its faith in an unreliable leader. In his book Finishing the Hat, Sondheim describes the zany plot as "a fanciful story about a venal Mayoress who gets the bright idea of arranging a fake miracle to attract tourists. [...] Farcical complications ensue." Also in the mix is an unlikely romance between a rational nurse, out to expose the fraud, and a chaos-loving doctor, who makes us question the very notion of sanity. Anyone Can Whistle has not been seen in New York since 2010, when it was presented by the Encores! series at City Center.
Douglas Sills, Elizabeth Stanley
Douglas Sills, Mark Spergel, Santino Fontana, Vanessa Williams
Douglas Sills, Vanessa Williams
Douglas Sills, Vanessa Williams, Eddie Cooper, Michael Mulheren
Eddie Cooper, Douglas Sills, Vanessa Williams, Michael Mulheren
Elizabeth Stanley, Santino Fontana
Elizabeth Stanley, Santino Fontana
Elizabeth Stanley, Santino Fontana
Elizabeth Stanley, Santino Fontana, Ensemble
Elizabeth Stanley, Vanessa Williams
Ensemble
Esther Lee and dancers
Final bows
Final bows
Anyone Can Whistle
Anyone Can Whistle
Ted Sperling, Elizabeth Stanley
Vanessa Williams, Douglas Sills
Vanessa Williams, Ted Sperling
Vanessa Williams, and dancers
Videos