THE MUSIC MAN Previews- Page 24

[jo]

Posted: 2/6/22 at 12:11am

But it was Paul McCartney who turned " 'Til The re Was You  " into a pop hit. Today, it is his Music Company which owns the rights to the songs from The Music Man.

 

 

[mamaleh]

Posted: 2/6/22 at 1:56am

I feel sorry for those who were not blown away by this production of MUSIC MAN. In a perfect world every theater experience would do that for the audience. I've already seen it a few times (though ouch! on the prices) and plan to go again. For me, it was 2-1/2. hours of nonstop pleasure.  I thought both Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster were brilliant, bringing hitherto unmined humor and vivacity into two of the most iconic roles in musical theater.  Unlike some, I didn't think Shuler Hensley was miscast, only underused. And I loved the witty performances of Jefferson Mays and Jayne Houdyshell. The only subpar acting was done by the young lady portraying Zaneeta. She can dance beautifully, but that's not quite enough. Still, that's a minor quibble in a show that radiates joy, especially in the "Marian the Librarian" number. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/8/22 at 8:00pm

A couple new production photos released today. Opening night is two days away.

Updated On: 2/8/22 at 08:00 PM

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 7:47am

I saw it last night and wanted to love it. But I mostly just liked it. I hadn't read any of the previous posts because I wanted to go into it fresh. I was surprised to read here that Hugh was sometimes breaking character. He did it twice last night, getting the giggles when Sutton slammed his hat into his chest during "Marian the Librarian" and later in a dialogue scene with Sutton in front of Marian's house. The audience of course loved it. I share some of the same complaints from earlier posters, especialy the cutting of "It's You" and the new PC lyrics for "Shipoopi," They have added a "Pick A Little" reprise (at least I think it's new to this production) that makes no sense where the ladies of River City are suddenly nice to Marian. And at the end of the show, when the townspeople are crying out the names of their kids with pride during the children's band performance, why in the world is it Mayor Shinn who cries out "Winthrop!"?

I enjoyed Sutton's acting choices, especially when Marian is being cold to Harold, but I wondered why they didn't lower the keys for her. It's not her fault she can't sing like Barbara Cook or Rebecca Luker (and I know she has said as much herself), but her voice gets a Minnie Mouse-like tone when she goes into the soprano range. And while Hugh is certainly giving an energetic performance, I do think he's too old for the part. His dancing, again while very energetic, comes across as somewhat fey. I was reminded of Ray Bolger's dancing, although Jackman is not as skilled a dancer as Bolger. It can't be easy trying to make this role his own since Robert Preston made the movie and will forever be Harold Hill for many people.But there was a smooth confidence and sense of ease in Preston's performance (at least in the movie) that Jackman never quite accomplishes. You can see the effort in his performance.

That said, it was great to be back in the Winter Garden (my first time since Mama Mia). The kid playing Winthrop is great. And the audience seemed to love the show.

Updated On: 2/9/22 at 07:47 AM

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 12:28pm

The video of Jefferson Mays (in character) congratulating the 21 Broadway Debuts is so sweet. And then the Barbershop Quartet doing "It's You." Adorable.

[saxpower]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 1:12pm

They have added a "Pick A Little" reprise (at least I think it's new to this production) that makes no sense where the ladies of River City are suddenly nice to Marian. 

 

I can say for certian the reprise was in the most recent revival, and the Playbill from the original production on Playbill Vault as well. 

I remember I was surprised by the reprise when i saw it as well.  I don't think its in the movie, and was likely cut from the OCR of the original production for time. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 1:57pm

[FranklinDickson2018]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 2:09pm

Can someone comment on how well Hugh Jackman sings the role?  I don't find his recent singing to be very good (issues of singing in tune) based on his recent concert tours, but maybe not so important in this role.  But Preston and Bierko could certainly put over the songs from a vocal standpoint. 

Updated On: 2/9/22 at 02:09 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 2:42pm

FranklinDickson2018 said: "Can someone comment on how well Hugh Jackman sings the role? I don't find his recent singing to be all the great based on his recent concert tours, but maybe not so important in this role. But Preston and Bierko could certainly put over the songs from a vocal standpoint."

He's fine. The role does not require a great singer, so he's in some ways overqualified.

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 4:16pm

StageStruckLad said: "I saw it last night and wanted to love it. But I mostly just liked it. I hadn't read any of the previous posts because I wanted to go into it fresh. I was surprised to read here that Hugh was sometimes breaking character. He did it twice last night, getting the giggles when Sutton slammed his hat into his chest during "Marian the Librarian" and later in a dialogue scene with Sutton in front of Marian's house. The audience of course loved it. I share some of the same complaints from earlier posters, especialy the cutting of "It's You" and the new PC lyrics for "Shipoopi," They have added a "Pick A Little" reprise (at least I think it's new to this production) that makes no sense where the ladies of River City are suddenly nice to Marian. And at the end of the show, when the townspeople are crying out the names of their kids with pride during the children's band performance, why in the world is it Mayor Shinn who cries out "Winthrop!"?

I enjoyed Sutton's acting choices, especially when Marian is being cold to Harold, but I wondered why they didn't lower the keys for her. It's not her fault she can't sing like Barbara Cook or Rebecca Luker (and I know she has said as much herself), but her voice gets a Minnie Mouse-like tone when she goes into the soprano range. And while Hugh is certainly giving an energetic performance, I do think he's too old for the part. His dancing, again while very energetic, comes across as somewhat fey. I was reminded of Ray Bolger's dancing, although Jackman is not as skilled a dancer as Bolger. It can't be easy trying to make this role his own since Robert Preston made the movie and will forever be Harold Hill for many people.But there was a smooth confidence and sense of ease in Preston's performance (at least in the movie) that Jackman never quite accomplishes. You can see the effort in his performance.

That said, it was great to be back in the Winter Garden (my first time since Mama Mia). The kid playing Winthrop is great. And the audience seemed to love the show."

Actually, if we are talking skill specifically then Jackman is a better dancer than Ray Bolger ever was. Bolger was a hoofer, he was in no way a technical dancer, at all. He was however an extraordinary performer and had huge charisma. Jackman is more skilled in terms of dance technique but perhaps lacks Bolger’s other qualities. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 5:34pm

Producers are making 10,000 $20 tickets available for New York City students, teachers, and their families. Initiatives introduced today by Diller, Horton, and Geffen...

• Teachers Night Out - teachers from all five boroughs can attend for $20 on various Tuesdays
• Family Shows - students from under-resourced communities can bring their entire family to the show; sets of four tix offered to each student
• Classroom Ticket - 3,500 tix allotted annually, offering tix to schools as part of larger curriculum
• Student Matinees - two Wednesday matinees in September reserved for 600 students; post-show talkback / Q&A following each performance

 

 

Also, another production photo released:

 



 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 5:39pm

The show let out at 4:27 this afternoon so they’ve definitely done a lot of trimming. The finale is now VERY condensed (thankfully) and no longer like 15 minutes long. The curtain now rises on Sutton and Hugh in white, who dance and are then joined by everyone else for a minute and then bows start. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 5:57pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Producers are making 10,000 $20 tickets available for New York City students, teachers, and their families. Initiatives introduced today by Diller, Horton, and Geffen...

• Teachers Night Out - teachers from all five boroughs can attend for $20 on various Tuesdays
• Family Shows - students from under-resourced communities can bring their entire family to the show; sets of four tix offered to each student
• Classroom Ticket - 3,500 tix allotted annually, offering tix to schools as part of larger curriculum
• Student Matinees - two Wednesday matinees in September reserved for 600 students; post-show talkback / Q&A following each performance

"

 

 

 

That's nice. This is a lot more than what most other shows have done.

[Owen22]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 11:32pm

This show is an utter joy from start to finish. Is there anything better than a perfect Golden Age Musical revived with such talent on stage and creatively? I don't think so.

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 11:38pm

How do we predict reviews for this one will be from critics? 

I'm looking forward to seeing during my 40th birthday week in NY in March. 

[willep]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 11:41pm

FranklinDickson2018 said: "Can someone comment on how well Hugh Jackman sings the role? I don't find his recent singing to be very good (issues of singing in tune) based on his recent concert tours, but maybe not so important in this role. But Preston and Bierko could certainly put over the songs from a vocal standpoint."

I really enjoyed the show overall, but my biggest complaint is that I did not enjoy his singing. He’s fun to watch, he’s very charismatic, but his singing just doesn’t do it for me.

[willep]

Posted: 2/9/22 at 11:41pm

FranklinDickson2018 said: "Can someone comment on how well Hugh Jackman sings the role? I don't find his recent singing to be very good (issues of singing in tune) based on his recent concert tours, but maybe not so important in this role. But Preston and Bierko could certainly put over the songs from a vocal standpoint."

I really enjoyed the show overall, but my biggest complaint is that I did not enjoy his singing. He’s fun to watch, he’s very charismatic, but his singing just doesn’t do it for me.

[bk]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 1:41am

Did Robert Preston's singing do it for you? Harold Hill is not a singer's role.

[broadwaybaby4423]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 2:45am

I have to be honest I was quite disappointed by this show. I am a huge Music Man fan and I felt like this production failed to understand what made the original show so dynamic. The ensemble and supporting cast were really flat (Iowa Stubborn is a big miss) and I agree with other commenters here that the dancing is extremely underwhelming. They slowed the tempo of nearly every song from the OBC and you can feel it. The choreography is weirdly stilted and the big numbers like 76 Trombones and Shipoopi fall completely flat. (I love Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman, but the updated lyrics to Shipoopi are awful and stick out like a sore thumb.) They've also added way too much dancing in numbers like Trouble and The Sadder But Wiser Girl and in doing so completely take the comedy out of those scenes. Hugh is fine. He's good, not great. (Although I think most of that has to do with the poor staging and direction of literally all of his big musical numbers). Sutton is a mixed bag. Vocally she is miscast, and I absolutely hate what they did with My White Knight, but she is the only one who truly understands the comedy of the show. She is by far the funniest Marion I have ever seen and her book scenes with Hugh in the second act are a riot. Despite her not fitting into the role vocally you can see in her performance that she is a Broadway star for a reason. I just wish she was showing off her chops in a role that suited her better. That's the frustrating part about this show it's not all bad, but overall it's nowhere near as good as the music man could be, should be, or has been in the past. Do not let the ticket price fool you, this is not the show stopping production they want you to think it is. 

[willep]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 6:48am

Yes, I enjoyed Robert Preston’s singing. I should add that I’ve never been a fan of Hugh Jackman’s singing voice, so I wasn’t expecting to suddenly love it. It’s very nasally and felt very thin for his big numbers. I enjoyed it more in Act 2 where he just has the slower/lower love songs.

 

I also just want to say that I disagree with broadwaybaby about Iowa Stubborn being a big miss. I thought it perfectly told us everything we needed to know about those characters and the town. It sets up how stiff and uppity they are and helps show how much they change when Hill comes to town. It made complete sense to me.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 11:30am

bk said: "Did Robert Preston's singing do it for you? Harold Hill is not a singer's role."

Lolz. Tell that to Norm Lewis. On Broadway? In a musical? Then you should be a professional singer along with everything else that comes with being on Broadway. Period. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 11:37am

theatretenor2 said: "How do we predict reviews for this one will be from critics?"

I have NO idea. As always, the Times is the only review that will matter...and considering the star power here, it might not matter much.

The show doesn't have inherent goodwill. Some might go in with knives out because of the Rudin situation, the box office performance, the reviews-on-opening-night situation, and the overwhelming whiteness of the production. Others might be swept away by a big old fashioned happy musical.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 11:40am

Sutton Ross said: "On Broadway? In a musical? Then you should be a professional singer along with everything else that comes with being on Broadway. Period."

thank god Jackman's concert tour, Grammy win, and musical theater training qualify him as being a professional singer.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 12:26pm

Such a shame he still can't sing after all those accolades. Weird. 

[willep]

Posted: 2/10/22 at 12:46pm

Never said he couldn’t sing, just that his singing voice isn’t and never has been for me. Everyone has different tastes.