Anyone Can Whistle, a musical by Stephen Sondheim at the New York City Encores! at City center. Starring Donna Murphy, Raoul Esparza and Sutton Foster, directed by Casey Nicholaw.

Sondheim on Sondheim, a revue celebrating the music of Stephen Sondheim at Studio 54. Starring Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams and Tom Wopat, directed by James Lapine.

Saturday was a Sondheim day for us. We began with the matinee of the Encores! presentation of "Anyone Can Whistle." This failed show has a marvelous score by Sondheim and with careful pruning by David Ives, it almost worked this time around. But Arthur Laurents's incomprehensible book and libretto, one that Sondheim himself faults for lack of clarity, still sinks it. Yet even so, when Murphy, Esparza and Foster are holding the stage, more than a little theatrical magic occurs. At times, even the book seemed to come together, almost as if a fog was lifting. This especially happened in the second act when Foster in her red wig in the "Romance" sequence heats up the stage with Esparza. We liked Foster best of all when she brought down the house singing "Anyone Can Whistle." The dances were splendid, the show looked great. This is undoubtedly as good as this show will ever get and in staging it so well, Encores! really fullfilled their mission of resurrecting an unstagable musical. Add in the talk-back with Sondheim himelf, and this was one of the most significant of all Encores! presentations. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test grade B+

We really looked forward to seeing Barbara Cook out of a cabaret and onto a Broadway stage. She did not disappoint. Even at her advanced age, she can still put over a song, with her limpid voice remarkably intact. Predictably she brought down the house in "Send in the Clowns." Unfortunately her two co-stars, Williams and Wopat were inadequate partners. They did not sing well, nor did they seem to get the meaning of what they were singing. This was particularly sad considering Williams was given a lost song from Gypsy and the sublime "Children Will Listen" though this was picked up by the rest of the company. The young talents were promising in "Sondheim on Sondheim" and I predict that a beautiful slim redhead Erin Mackey will eventually obtain stardom. She really shone in "Do I hear A Waltz." Alas, this was accompanied by Stephen Sondheim, on film, being rather negative about the show and about Rodgers, which was mean spirited we thought. Other footage was much more rewarding and revealing, but there was such a surfeit of it, that the whole evening smacked more of documentary than revue. Of the eight people we were with, I was the only one who liked the evening, and there was a lot I hated about it including the tedious sets. Though "Sondheim on Sondheim" didn't reach the high level it promised on paper, seeing Cook is nevertheless a must. Something to brag about to the grandchildren. Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade B-

Promises, Promises, a musical by Burt Bacharach and Neil Simon at the Broadway Theatre. Starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. Once upon a time, a Broadway Show meant a glamorous evening, great stars, beautiful girls, smart sets, colorful costumes, gorgeous chorus lines and rousing dance numbers, and more. That was the Broadway musical for our parents, the Broadway for which a table at Sardis still held glittery promise. That kind of musical is almost never seen today, but low and behold in this sizzling revival of Promises, Promises, we get our parents' Broadway, and that's just swell.
Start with the stars: Sean Hayes, making his Broadway debut, connects with the audience from his first pantomime with adding machine as nerdy C. C. Baxter. Whether soliloquizing directly with audience members, delivering his Bacharach solos with verve, or harmonizing effectively with the adorable Kristin Chenoweth as the love-lorn Fran Kubelik, Hayes has an effortless comedic presence and charm: he will win the Tony. Chenoweth gets a huge round of applause when she walks on the stage, she is a very big star in this town and for those hold-outs who may have resisted her in the past, they will surely capitulate. This is a score perfectly suited to her vocally and stylistically -- the songs could have been written for her. She'll be the toast of the town when the show opens and, unless Barbara Cook takes it, Chenoweth should get her second Tony. All of the roles are well cast, but special mention should be made of Katie Finneran as the show stopping Marge.
The dances by Rob Ashford are sensational, right from the curtain opener which had us grinning with pleasure. The direction is just about flawless, except that the show drags a little about half way into the second act, too many songs. "Wanting Things" should probably be cut altogether.
The sets and costumes are perfection, right out of "Mad Men." This show is going to be a smash, a sell-out Pajama Game type of smash. Don't miss this.
Broadway Bridge and Tunnel Test Grade. A-