The Music Man
At Theatre under the Stars until Aug. 18
Tickets: 1-877-840-0457
tuts.ca
Immediate impression: an unbelievable amount of work and dedication has gone into making this show, with its cast of almost 40most of whom are kids and young adultslook and sound so polished. Sarah Rodgers direction, Dayna Tekatchs choreography, Christopher Kings musical direction, Chris Sinosichs costumes plus the enthusiastic cast make this Music Man so much fun.
The Music Man (book, music and lyrics by Meredith Wilson) opened on Broadway in 1957, moved to another theatre and closed four years later. In spite of the large cast, it has been revived and revived by both professional and non-professional companies; in 1987 a Chinese translation was mounted in Beijings Central Opera Theater. Hard to imagine such a wrapped-in-the-American-flag musical, including Fourth of July celebrations, on a Beijing stage.
The show opens with Wilsons innovationfrom the point of musical theatre: the dialogue between the men on the train travelling to River City, Iowa is neither spoken nor sung but is delivered in song-speak, a rhythmic combination of the two. Not easy but well-done here. And its in this scene we first meet Professor Harold Hill (award-winning Daren Herbert), con man. Hes looking for a town to pull off another scam and after hearing the men talk about River City, he decides to get off there. The pickings look very good for someone eager to persuade the gullible to part with their hard-earned cash. Its 1912 in the breadbasket of America; money is tight.
After persuading the townsfolk that the mayors new pool hall will bring crime and corruption to their fair city, Hill offers to start a boys band that, he says, will keep their children pure. Parents will pay for expensive instruments and uniforms that will never arrive and Hill will have left town.
The plan is almost foiled by savvy librarian Marian Paroo (Samantha Currie) when she falls for Hill.
Herbert not only brings a rich voice to the rolebeginning with Ya Got Troublebut a whole lot of charm and charisma. He looks handsome in a variety of white suits as well as a bandleaders gold-trimmed, brass-buttoned, red-jacketted uniform. Its no wonder Marian falls for him.
Currie has a clear, sweet, easy-on-the-ears soprano and she sets us up for the romance to follow with Goodnight, My Someone.
Marians Irish, down-to-earth mother, Mrs. Paroo, is played by Barbara Pollard (of Moms The Word fame) who brings a down-to-earth lustiness to the role. Nine-year-old Aidan Wessels is Marians lisping little brother Winthrop who turns out to be the catalyst for Marians re-assessment of Professor Hill.
There are many running gagsthe most amusing of which is the barbershop quartet (David Cotton, Taylor Lewis, Allen Upward and Dave Vincent) that Professor Hill has created out of four formerly antagonistic River City neighbours. Every time they come close to uncovering Hills dodgy past, he starts them singingand off they go on another harmonious, musical tangent.
While all the leads are excellent, its the whole ensemble that really carries this show with its high-spirited singing and dancing. Its a lively, music and dance-filled stage with some effective freezes in the action and effective lighting by Gerald King on Kevin McAllisters set.
During the intermission I bumped into a UBC English Department professor who was loving every minute of the show and who commented in a whats-not-to-love sort of way that The Music Man is, after all, really about the power of art. And here I thought it was just a good show with some memorable tunes like Seventy-Six Trombones, Lida Rose and Till There Was You. Silly me.
