Yep. Reboot has done it again-produced another wacky, gut-bustingly funny musical with ingenious casting, choreography and great musicians at Theatre off Jackson. Directed by Jasmine Joshua, Stephen Sondheim’s Anyone Can Whistle opened Friday, March 8 to incredible applause and uproarious laughter.
Although on Broadway Whistle won Tony awards for Lighting, Costume and Scenic Designs, it flopped in 1967, because, in my opinion, it was ahead of its time. It was before the ground-breaking musical Hair, before Kent State, and most significantly before Watergate. Pre-Watergate, many Americans thought the U.S. was ruled by ethical people, Post-Watergate everybody believed that government and politicians were corrupt.
The thin plot involves the fall-out after a vain, narcissistic small town Mayoress, creates a “miracle” to save a dying town from bankruptcy while hoping to hide her corruption and propel her to higher office. (This might sound very familiar)
Whatever Whistle lacks in dramatic structure, it more than compensates in the subject matter, the music, the songs, and the general satire on corrupt politicians, spin doctors and their craft-propaganda, as well as the concept of sanity itself.
Also, Krista Lofgren’s costuming and Harry Turpin’s ingenious choreography added a certain eccentric flair. All this, plus the casting emphasized that the division between sanity and insanity, mentioned in the script, has never been very clear.
Stand outs in the cast were Rhys Daly as Hapgood, whose presence on stage was like lightening, he moved, spoke and sang with precision and held the audience’s attention at all times. Shana Emile and Anamarie Guerzon as Cora Hoover Hooper and Faye Apple generally were good singers and actors but often their diction and enunciation, while both singing and speaking, were splashy and incoherent. 
The high point was the ensemble dancing and singing of Katie Connors, Cynthia Dario-Good, Mariesa Genzale, HK. Goldstein, Paris Manzanares, Pyper, Malex Reed and Miles Wingett. The musicians, although stuck backstage and barely visible, were terrific with Conductor/keyboardist Kaelee Bolme, cellist Erika Fiebig, percussionist Josh Zimmerman and Kairon Bullock -Trumpets, Cody Clark on the Woodwinds. Live music was a big bonus for this production and the musicians are to be commended!
All in all, this is a delightful production. I rather think that if this cast and crew had produced the first Broadway production in 1967 that it would have run for years.
Anybody can Whistle. Reboot Theatre Company. Theatre off Jackson (TOJ)409-7th Ave Seattle 98104 ( Chinatown-International District) Fri. Sat 7:30, Sun 2 pm. Mon 3-18 & Thurs 3-21 7:30. Sun 3-17 Talk Back. Til March 23.
Tickets: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/reboottheatre/whistle#/day
Link contains parking info and Masking requirements