ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, Allred Theatre, Browning Center, Weber State University, Ogden; through March 16. Running time: 2 1/2 hours (three acts; two intermissions). Reservations: 626-8500 or 1-800-978-8457.
OGDEN — If someone added songs and dances to, say, "Rhinoceros" or "Waiting for Godot" — perish the thought — you'd end up with something along the same vein as Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents' "Anyone Can Whistle," which has been described as an "absurdest musical."
When it burst on the Broadway scene in 1964 — up against such mainstream hits as "Hello, Dolly!" and "Fiddler on the Roof" — it closed after only nine performances. Sondheim, never shy about pushing the envelope, had created a musical that was way ahead of its time.
Now, Jim Christian, one of the region's most innovative choreographers and directors, has put together a fully staged version of the show, and it's about as accessible as any you're likely to find. His setting (by Van Tinkham) has a whimsical "Dr. Seuss" look, the brightly colored costumes (by Lisa Ann DeLapp) are right out of the tie-dyed '60s, and he has a cast of fine talent, most of whom have been coming up through the ranks of WSU's excellent musical-theater program.
While Laurents' and Sondheim's best-known collaborations are "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," this production is awash in surrealism and quirky characters.
The central characters include Cora Hoover Hooper, the corrupt mayor of a town teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, and her circle of "yes" men — the treasurer, the comptroller and the police chief. They concoct a "miracle" — a wonderful fountain where thousands . . . no, millions . . . will pay big bucks for an instant cure.
The attention-grabbing event quickly runs into trouble when a contingent of patients from the nearby asylum (referred to as Cookies from the Cookie Jar) parades into town. What if it gets around that the Cookies can't be "cured."
And how do you tell the Cookies from the Pilgrims?
"Anyone Can Whistle" ultimately ponders what is normal.
The cast includes such standouts as Eliza Wren Payne as rebellious nurse Fay Apple, who can belt Sondheim's lyrics right out of the ballpark; Charity Pomeroy as Cora Hooper; Jeremy Flygare as an allegedly "honest" psychiatrist, "Dr." J. Bowden Hapgood; and Dustin Strickland as the goofy Police Chief Magruder.
E-MAIL: ivan@desnews.com