Wow.
So. Much. Dancing.
I'm a fairly critical theatre-goer, and I also really don't like The Music Man (from a storyline perspective any way...I actually appreciate a lot of the writing inside of it), so take my thoughts with the grain of salt they are worth.
Over all, the production delivers in all the ways you hope and expect it to. I think most people will find it incredibly satisfying. I didn't find it as detail-perfect as Hello Dolly, but then again, I saw Dolly after it had opened, and this was still only the second preview, so maybe that checks out.
No new takes or anything like that. Same old story. Traditional telling of the story. All the things you always see in The Music Man. No significant new flourishes or changes or anything. Except that there is a lot more dancing...and a big tap dance finale from the two leads.
76 Trombones, Marian the Librarian, and Shipoopie have incredibly lengthened dance breaks added in. Plus a very long finale. 76 Trombones (the first time) was at least 10 minutes long. I mean, I didn't time it, so I might be wrong, but it sure felt at least 10 minutes long. And I don't mean that negatively. A lot of dancing. And an ensemble up to the task.
One thing I appreciated is that there are actually 10-12 boys who look like they range in age from 8-20 making up the "River City Boys Band" and they are all stellar dancers (and for any So You Think You Can Dance fans, that really adorable JT kid who was on the Kids-Take-Over-SYTYCD Season is here and is really incredible).
I find Hugh Jackman to be a very sincere and charming performer, but I am a huge Sutton Foster fan. It was great seeing them both together. I thought Sutton sounded great. As mentioned earlier in the thread, the end of My White Knight gets a bit of a brassy beltey makeover, but I liked it. Made the scene end with more passion and aggression than usual. Everything else was pretty much as you'd expect it to sound. I appreciated what she brought to the role, even though I wouldn't say it is a very difficult role to play. She gives her a good arc, and some real moments of thoughtfulness, and I think I understood better why she flips by the end of the show. Now don't get me wrong, I think this show should definitely be reexamined in 2021 and I think it has some pretty problematic tropes that get reinforced, but in the hands of Sutton they didn't seem as bad...
They have added a lot of dancing and vaudeville scenes for Hugh (including an odd suitcase physical comedy bit that goes on for a couple minutes that is straight out of a laurel and hardy skit) and he has clearly worked very hard. You can really see how hard he is trying. And I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, because he really is charming and performs them well, but ya. Second preview. Lots of stuff he has been given and he has done a lot of work. it was endearing.
Although this has a stellar supporting cast, in my opinion they all have done better work in other productions. Jefferson Mays, Shuler Hensley and Jayne Houdyshell are all actors I love, and so it was great to see them again. They all do a great job. Nothing incredibly special though. Mays has some good moments.
Tommy (another SYTYCD almost-champ) and Zenita (from the NYC ballet maybe I thought I saw in the playbill?) were both clearly hired for their dancing abilities and not their acting abilities. But hey, they don't have to say much, and Warren Carlyle gives them a lot of dancing to do. They were also a joy to watch.
Winthrop is given a lot more focus in this production, and becomes the center of attention towards the end. And he is fantastic. Almost steals the show from Hugh and Sutton. Haha.
Oh, and there is no reason given or even suggested as to why everyone in town has chosen to wear yellow on the day they rehearse Shipoopie...haha...
Sets and costumes get the job done if not a little uninspired. Some of those choices made it feel like they were just living in a painting the whole time. Which was a bit uh well whatever.
Maybe that all sounds kind of negative, but it really was a great night and I think people will absolutely love it. A lot of work and care has gone into it, especially from the ensemble, and you can tell.
Oh, and as for the 'non-staging' of Iowa Stubborn as mentioned by a previous poster. It did seem to me to be done on purpose. For laughs. I don't think however, that the concept was that as Harold Hill enters the town, he brings it to life gradually...because everyone in the town is dancing at an extreme level immediately after that number. So they go from 0 to 100 really quickly. Not sure if that is intended but it is noticeable.
Anything else?
Updated On: 12/21/21 at 11:52 PM
