Review of The Music Man

I keep forgetting to post this review we got of The Music Man.  This ran in the Coloradoan last Thursday.  Thanks, Tom Jones!!

A hundred years ago, railroads criss-crossed the continent, taking travelers to faraway places they only could reach by train. Many of these train riders were salesmen, traveling from city to city to sell their wares — from soap to buttons, to amazingly heavy anvils.
 
And some of these salesmen weren’t particularly honest, including a shyster by the name of Harold Hill who claims he could create bands in local communities where the townsfolk would give cash for instruments and dazzling uniforms for their children.

Jordan Centeno rolled into Loveland this week as Harold Hill in Up In Lights heartfelt production of “The Music Man,” the classic musical by Meredith Wilson. Centeno is a natural charmer as the shyster who decides to get off the train in River City, Iowa, to collect funds with the idea he can create a local band. He portrays Hill with a disarming wink, smooth sophistication, super stage presence and fine voice. Unlike most other productions of the show, Hill even dances in this one. Delightfully so, under direction of Britni Girard.

“The Music Man” is composer Wilson’s love song to America of the last century. He captured it all — the wholesome naivety of parents wanting the best for their children, the gossiping women who don’t have a lot to do to meaningfully occupy their time, the school board members who can’t stand one another, the bombastic mayor (played by Craig Johnson) with the over-the-top wife (Paula Satchell) who longs to be a great dancer. And the lonely librarian who finds great solace in the books that an elderly friend left to her, when he left the library building itself to the town.

Wilson takes us to a time when naughty words included “swell” and “your old man.” When the summer ice cream sociable was the year’s highlight. And when first love was found on the bridge in the town park.

He wrapped this tale with great music. It is hard to find a more beautiful song than “Goodnight My Someone” as currently sung by Nattia Trout as the librarian longing for something wonderful to happen in her life. She is surrounded by the love of her widowed mother, Mrs. Paroo, and her withdrawn younger brother, Winthrop, but realizes there might be more to life than her local situation provides.

Trout is a joy to watch, as are Angela Johnson, as her Irish mother with a heart of gold (and an impressive Irish brogue), and Michael Chuevront as Winthrop. Winthrop has a lisp and has become reclusive. Under tutelage of Hill, however, Winthrop has learned a super song with words he can produce, and belts out “Gary, Indiana, with great enthusiasm. Frequently child actors are pleasant to watch, but difficult to understand. Chuevront, however, is a performing natural. Also excelling among the show’s younger performers is Katie Canterbury as Amaryllis.

There are several children in this “Music Man” charmer. They appear to be having a great time performing, and the audience is rewarded with their infectious joy. Talent prevails in the especially large cast of River City citizens — highlighted by the quarrelsome school board. Hill convinces them to turn every possible quarrel into a song. This results in a delightful barbershop quartet that knocks the socks off the audience each time they appear — cantankerous at first, then craving each other’s company so that they can harmonize. The combination of their singing “Lida Rose” in company of Marian’s “Will I Ever Tell You” is especially effective. Adam Goetsch, Brad Redford, Cody Schmitt and Daniel Carey are the melodic school board.

Britni Girard directs and choreographs the wonderful show, with Phil Foreman as music director; Debbie Russell as costumer designer; Kallyah Wood, Morgan Hoog and Rachel Miller as dance captains; and Cole Emarine as assistant choreographer.

The cast is so large that there are possibilities for less-than-wonderful moments. Some of the spoken lines are missed, with need to rely on past knowledge of the show to keep you aware of what is happening. Those moments are fortunately fleeting, however, and the overall experience is one of great affection.

In 1957, the show became a hit on Broadway where it received five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The original show ran for 1,375 performances.

The best-known song from the show is the rousing “Seventy-Six Trombones,” which appears in the first act and then as a standing-ovation audience pleaser at the end. Yep, it appears that Harold Hill has beguiled yet another town with his promise of putting together a band. This time the happier-but-wiser town is Loveland.