Reviews of The Music Man

 

DC Theatre Scene, February 24, 2009

The Music Man
Book, Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Directed by Michael Baron
Musical Direction by N. Thomas Pedersen
Choreography by Matthew Gardiner
Produced by Washington Savoyards
Reviewed by Steven McKnight

I have always regarded the 1958 decision to award the Best Musical Tony® to The Music Man over West Side Story to be one of the greatest “what were they thinking” moments in theatre history.  Yet after seeing the utterly charming Washington Savoyards’ production of The Music Man,  I get it.

This production is a delightful piece of Americana.  Director Michael Baron and his creative team embrace the small town Iowa atmosphere of 1912, from the colorful building backdrops designed by Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden, to the bright and pleasing period costumes of Eleanor Dicks.  Even the earnest acting of the cast is totally appropriate to the story of the initially reserved townsfolk (”Iowa Stubborn”) who emerge from their shells when enthralled by Professor Harold Hill.

For those of you who have somehow escaped seeing The Music Man on stage or screen (including the beloved 1962 film version in which Robert Preston reprised his Broadway performance), Professor Hill is a travelling sales/con man.  He pitches the idea of musical education as a tool to prevent teenage boys from falling into vice (”Ya Got Trouble”), painting a majestic picture of a marching band (”76 Trombones”).  His scheme calls for selling lots of expensive musical instruments and band uniforms, but skipping out before the townsfolk discover he his background in musical education is phony.

Stephen Schmidt delivers a wonderful performance as Harold Hill, imbuing the character with all of the magnetism and charisma that the role requires.  We, along with most of the town, quickly fall under his spell as he conveys his enthusiasm with an articulate voice and a spirited manner.

One of the few who resist Professor Hill is Marian Paroo (”Marian the Librarian”), an educated woman who sees that he has no musical knowledge.  Sandy Bainum does a fine job with a woman who slowly sees that Professor Hill is good for the town, especially when he helps bring her shy young brother Winthrop (an appealing Marley McKay) out of his shell.  Where she really soars is when she uses her clear operatic soprano to render classics such as “Til There Was You.”  It’s no surprise that Professor Hill falls for her despite the fact that he risks being arrested as a fraud the longer he remains in town.

The two lead performances alone would be enough to recommend the show, but this production has so much more to offer.  The breadth onstage is a wonderful surprise.  The large cast (nearly forty, including five children and an eight member teen dance ensemble) is consistently entertaining, moving and sing together with smooth professionalism.

Both director Michael Baron and choreographer Matthew Gardiner demonstrate real skill in the way they maneuver the large cast around the stage. Gardiner also does a fine job with the teen dance ensemble, assisted by dance captain Jamie Eacker.  The choreography is consistently strong throughout the show, drawing appreciation from the audience.

It is difficult to single out anyone in such a strong cast, but the performance of the four school board members who evolve into a barbershop quartet (played by the group Bachelor Party) is a consistent crowd pleaser, reaching a musical peak with “Lida Rose.”  Fine character performances are given by Judy Simmons as Mrs. Paroo, who encourages Marian to take a chance on love, and Liz Isbell as the mayor’s wife, who becomes one of Professor Hill’s biggest boosters.

If you’re still on the fence about seeing this production, the music alone could justify the trip.  The musical direction by N. Thomas Pedersen is superb, as he capably leads an 18-piece orchestra through the classic score.  Live musicians of this quality make a real difference in the musical theatre experience.

Running Time: 2:20 with one intermission

Where: Washington Savoyards at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC

When: Through March 8th.  Wed through and Sat at 8:00 pm (except special fundraiser gala on Sat, 2/28 at 7:00 pm); matinees on Sun 3/1, Sat 3/7 and Sun\ 3/8 at 2:30 pm. Closing show is  Sun 3/8 at 7:30 pm.

All Arts Review 4 U, February 26, 2009

The Music Man" (To 3/8) at the Atlas Theater sponsored by the Washington Savoyards packs a solid singing and dancing wallop that lasts from the first exciting curtain rise and continues for 2hrs 40 minutes!   The showstopping curtain rise has the cast presenting placards with the actors' names during the overture...a delicious opening.    And the excitement never lets up!  Stephen F. Schmidt was born to play the role of the feisty swindler who moves into River City, Iowa to convince the townspeople that he can train a boy's marching band with his "thinking" method...after all "one just puckers one's lips and whistling comes out".  But Mr. Schmidt is perfection in both character and his singing and dancing and he makes beautiful transitions.  Sandy Bainum as the librarian has one of the sweetest soprano musical comedy voices and she is thrilling in "Til There Was You" as she moves from resentment to total love for the rascal.   The wonderful cast is too long to name each one but be assured they all are superb especially the young dance team that sizzles across the stage.  Certainly this production is ready to move to the big White Way intact!   Director Michael Baron is splendid in handling this large cast with finesse,  and choreographer Matthew Gardiner is amazing as he fills the total stage with exciting moves and patternings.  This Meredith Willson long playing Braodway musical is just what we need when financial stresses comes to families and cities to show the human and family spirit is stil A-OK.   This is a highly recommended musical treat.  Don't miss it! (Reviewed by Bob Anthony)

Theatre Schmooze with Joel Markowitz

Jesse Palmer & Mark Chandler .  Joanne Schmoll & Desire DuBose . Roz White . Sandy Bainum & Rowyn Peel. David James . Felicia Curry . Amy Conley, Harv Lester, Katie McManus & Sam Nystrom . Lily Goldberg . Josh Kaufmann & Devin Wrigley .  Zachary Conneen .  Alice Ripley

with comments from director Michael Baron and choreographer Matt Gardiner

by Joel Markowitz

This winter, there were barricades, bipolar housewives, trombone sellers, biblical characters raising Cain, parodying Sondheimites, gaudy golden lame jacketed and colorfully dressed dancers, cowardly lions, librarians, and lady composers stealing scenes and offering musical treats on our local stages.  Here are eleven scene stealing moments that stole my heart.

Jesse Palmer and Mark Chandler dancing in the “It’s You Ballet” in The Music Man at The Washington Savoyards.

What a joy to see an American classic, that is rarely produced, revived at The Atlas Performing Arts Center by The Washington Savoyards. This colorful production, which is in the creative hands of director Michael Baron and choreographer Matt Gardiner, boasts some of the most exciting choreography that I have seen in a local musical production in years. The “It’s You Ballet” is breathtaking and beautiful, and danced elegantly by Jesse Palmer and Mark Chandler. I asked Jesse and Mark to talk about the ballet, and also asked Michael Baron and Matt Gardiner to enlighten us about its direction and choreography.

Jesse: “First off — to set up the “It’s You Ballet” - Tommy and Zaneeta have been in love since the moment they met (sometime before the actual story of The Music Man. Mark and I decided that they met at school, and then Tommy insisted on walking Zaneeta home), but because Tommy is a trouble-maker and Zaneeta, the mayor’s daughter, their love is forbidden. I am making this sound MUCH more dramatic than it really is.

Throughout the show, mostly through dance, we see Tommy and Zaneeta’s relationship grow, - in “76 Trombones”,”Marion: The Librarian”, and “Shipoopi”. The ballet which takes place in the 2nd Act is, in my opinion, the characters’ peak. After standing up to her father and going against everything she has ever been taught, Zaneeta agrees to meet Tommy, her two best friends - and their significant others - at the footbridge (which can be equated to a modern day makeout point).

I love the choreography in the number! Working with Matt was such a wonderful experience, and it is a nice way to end the show for me. The “It’s You Ballet” is the last dance number I do, and its my little breath of fresh air. It’s low stress for me (not worried about lifts, library carts.. etc), and I really enjoy just getting to dance to beautiful expressive music opposite Mark , who is a very good friend of mine and a wonderful person to partner with.

Really, much like the rest of the show - This number is pure fun for me, and reminds me why I love music theatre, and performing it so much!”

Mark: “This number is great because it’s the pinnacle for our characters (Tommy and Zaneeta). It’s the first time they are alone without having to worry about parents or adults yelling at them or reprimanding them. I love this number because it’s where you really see the true affection that Tommy and Zaneeta have for each other shown through this beautiful “ballet”. It’s simple choreography with minimal lifts and jumps, but caters to the building of Tommy and Zaneeta’s relationship.  Matt is absolutely brilliant. He choreographs with such emotion and makes us better dancers with each number he works on. We are so lucky to have him in the DC area…he’s a rare find. I have also been so lucky to dance with such a beautiful dancer and wonderful friend, Ms. Jesse Palmer. They both bring out the best in me every night I’m dancing on that stage.”

Director Michael Baron: “As for the “It’s You Ballet”, I really gave this over to Matt Gardiner, the show’s choreographer. After I brought on the townspeople in couples to express a more mature love on their way to the Sociable, Matt created a wonderful dance to express the fresh and thrilling time of teenage love.  We don’t have a traditional footbridge, but a “twinkle lit” romantic version of the town where the ballet can express romantic love on a teenage level.  I told the teens that sexually they  should be similar to the teens in West Side Story, but with a small town sensibility - not hokey.  Both musicals did premiere on Broadway the same year and I didn’t want the teens to seem too innocent or younger than their ages.  Tommy, Zaneeta, and their friends are aching for the arrival of a man like Harold Hill - who, though a salesman at heart, is full of fresh ideas about music and dance.  I think Matt also has fresh ideas about dance and it’s vibrantly evident throughout the production.”

Choreographer Matt Gardiner: “The “It’s You Ballet” was actually the very last dance we staged. With a very short rehearsal period and only one rehearsal room so our time to dance was very limited and this moment was explored very quickly. But I will say that by this point in the rehearsal process, I knew the dancers so well, and it was certainly the most organic choreography in the show for me because it came from spending time with each couple individually and exploring how best they moved together.

The ballet particularly focuses on and leads to a short pas de deux between Tommy and Zaneeta, who are the “leaders of the pack.” It was a dream choreographing for these two performers (Mark and Jesse), as well as the other dancers, so it was by no means a struggle, but it is a hard moment because it would seem from the outside  it’s only real purpose is to cover Marian and Harold’s costume change. I really believed this until I actually spent time working on the piece as a choreographer.

I jumped at the chance to choreograph The Music Man because there are so few shows in the musical theatre that use dance the way this show does. Dance is not simply an accessory, it is an extension of the storytelling in The Music Man, and if you think about it - that is really very rare in the musical theatre. The dancers and I spent a lot of time talking about how dance in this piece is the highest form of expression. We watch as an entire town falls under the spell of Harold Hill in “76 Trombones” - and at the height of the number - the teen dancers shed their rigid Iowan facade and explode in the most expressive way possible - dance. “The Library Ballet” and “Shipoopi” have the same effect. So it seems only appropriate that the climax of Harold and Marian’s romance be heralded in by dancing with the “It’s You Ballet”.

Potomac Stages, online March 2, 2009

The Music Man February 20 - March 8 Wednesday - Saturday at 8 pm Saturday - Sunday at 2:30 pm Reviewed February 26 by Brad Hathaway	Meredith Willson's classic Americana musical Running time 2:35 - one intermission Tickets $20 - $45 Student "rush" tickets $10
Meredith Willson’s classic romantic musical comedy of small town America circa 1912 gets a solid if sometimes stolid production from the Savoyards under the capable direction of Michael Baron. He makes sure everyone on stage has a firm understanding of just what he or she is there for in each scene, and gives his Music Man, Stephen F. Schmidt, and his Marion the Librarian, Sandy Bainum, the freedom to do what they do best. For Schmidt that is bringing charm to bear on one of the great charm roles in theater. For Bainum, it is singing in a pure soprano. Two or three notable supporting performances add to the enjoyment. There is a bit of a mechanical feel to the festivities as the cast works their way through the material, but a good time is had by both those on the stage and those in the audience, thanks in large part to the strength of Willson's score and the nearly fail-safe quality of his book.
Storyline: A con man who could give the trade of traveling salesman a bad name comes to an Iowa town in July of 1912. He runs a scam to form a boys band in order to sell band instruments and uniforms even though he can’t teach them how to play music. He romances the local librarian/piano teacher. Both the librarian and the town fall under his spell . Meredith Willson will always be remembered for this, his first and biggest Broadway hit. He was a died-in-the-wool Midwesterner with deep roots in band music - he'd been a flute player in John Philip Sousa's band in the 1920s, a music director for radio programs in the 30s, and a composer of movie scores in the 40s (with two Oscar nominations to his credit - The Great Dictator and The Little Foxes). The 50s were pretty much taken up with The Music Man, as he prepared it as a television musical which never got produced, and then as a movie musical which never got produced. Finally, it made its way onto stage, and with Robert Preston making his Broadway musical debut and Barbara Cook solidifying her position as a reigning leading lady, it became what would become known as a mega-hit, running for three and a half years, selling millions of original cast albums and being filmed with Preston repeating his success. Schmidt and Bainum make an attractive pair and deliver satisfying performances. Among the supporting cast that impress are Judy Simons, giving more than just a sweet voice to the role of the librarian's mother, Vishal Vaidya selling the comedy shtick of the music man's side-kick, and, most notably, Mark Chandler who leads the spirited dances as the slightly rebellious (for 1912) youth looked up to by all the kids in the town. Tom Howell lands the gags written for the town's Mayor and Joshua Dick ads a jolt of energy to Act II as the anvil salesman who wants to spill the beans about the music man's con. The barbershop quartet of the town's "school board" is quite good so the result is, as it always is when the material is given half a chance, a delight. The fairly shallow stage of the Atlas' Lang Theater is left fairly open for Matthew Gardiner's stage-filling choreography through the trick of using forced perspective cutouts of the town's storefronts and a dropdown cutout of the Paroo home. Dan Covey floods the rear drop with brightly colored light to give the scenes hue & tone. Combined with some nifty period and place specific costumes by Eleanor Dicks, the feel of the production is simple but appropriate. Book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson. Story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey. Directed by Michael Baron. Choreographed by Matthew Gardiner. Music direction by N. Thomas Pedersen. Design: Elizabeth McFadden (set) Eleanor Dicks (costumes) Dan Covey (lights) Scott Suchman (photography) Jeremy Wilcox (stage manager). Cast: Nancy Almquist, Chase Ammon, Sandy Bainum, Nareg Sheram Balian, Sareen Nairi Balian, Jenai Bell, Talia Brenner, Malynda Burdette, Mark Chandler, Patrick Thomas Cragin, Joshua Dick, Jamie Eaker, Kelsea Edgerly, Maria Egler, Mike Fasano, Davis Hasty, Tom Howell, Liz Isbell, Katie Keyser, David Landstrom, Marley McKay, Katie McManus, Christopher Mueller, Jesse Palmer, Rowyn Peel, Terry Reynolds, Kirstin Riegler, Beth Rothschild, Ken Rub, Stephen F. Schmidt, Judy Simmons, Gregory Tepe, Vashal Vaidya, Matthew Wojtal, Amanda Wright.