Okee dokee folks… For nearly 70 years, the musical The Music Man has been entertaining audiences with its story and songs about a musical instrument sales conman. On May 16th, I was thoroughly entertained by the production of The Music Man at The Hanover Theatre in Worcester.
The Music Man is a classic Broadway Musical that has long passed its days of having to prove its worth. Nowadays it’s the cast that makes or breaks this show. In this case the cast was phenomenal, and it was a big cast!
The production started with an animated train on screen heading towards the audience. The engine filled the screen to black and the screen rose to expose a train car full of salesmen sort of old-timey rapping the song “Rock Island” to the sound of the beat of a train. This scene was very well done and if you looked closely there was even scenery movement in the windows of the passenger car. This segment is where we learn of the grifting ways of Harold Hill (The Music Man).
Once Hill arrives in River City, he immediately begins his con by announcing that there is “Trouble” because of the new pool table. This is so he can “convince” folks that musical instruments for the kids is a more moral way of spending their time. Hill plans to skip town once he sells them instruments and band uniforms without teaching them how to play. The grift continues and unexpectedly the stuffy town begins to change, even the prim librarian, Marian, who Hill has set his romantic sights on. Of course, the con is exposed, and the townspeople are initially angry but they quickly realize that the town’s transition has been for the best.
The lead roles, Harold Hill played by Elliott Andrews and Marion Paroo played by Elizabeth D’Aiuto were well cast and they are both spectacular performers. Andrews has an old school Dick Van Dyke style dance ability and D’Aiuto has one of the more powerful voices that I have ever heard.
There were a LOT of cast members and they were all equally talented. The dance numbers, and there was a LOT of dancing, had performers airborne, doing one handed cartwheels, spinning, and even landing in a split. There were a few kids in the cast as well and they did a great job – not just “awww, let’s give the kid a big hand just for trying”, but they actually did a great job and kept right up with the adults in every manner.
The scenery was the icing on the performance. There were screens that had animated scenes as part of the background, but not in a distracting or cheesy way. For example, The Wells Fargo Wagon could be seen coming in on the back screen and then it arrived on stage. There was a border with 3 smaller screens per side that showed related icons that changed with the songs. There were also very nice physical sets – Marian’s front porch, the library, the footbridge, and the town square. This, along with the beautiful costumes, made the show visually striking as well.
All in all this show was fun and funny, VERY entertaining, and I can’t say this enough, VERY WELL DONE! I know there are lots of new musicals to see but sometimes a classic, done right, will put a big smile on your face. It certainly put one on mine!
The Hanover Theatre is just 45 minutes from Providence and offers shows that may not be available in Rhode Island. One of the things that I have noticed about this theatre that is another positive attribute is that the seats have LEG ROOM! I am tall so this is important. In addition to the leg room, each row is a new level so there is less obstruction from the person in front of you. Though this year’s season for musicals is coming to an end, there are other events over the summer and a new season coming in the fall. For more, one-forty-six over to: thehanovertheatre.org
That’s it for now. You can listen to my podcasts at motifri.com/rootsreportpodcast and find my Farm Aid concert photographs at motifri.com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks for reading and listening. johnfuzek.com