Review – Music Man 2007

“Half-century-old Chestnut Still Has Some Legs”

Published: May 6, 2007

If you became a con man, would you choose posing as a music professor and taking orders for instruments and band uniforms?

Uh … probably not. But by golly, it worked for Prof. Harold Hill. He’s the affable swindler who gets the entire town of River City, Iowa, terribly excited about playing the trombone in one of musical theatre’s best-loved romps, The Music Man.

The original cast recording no doubt had pride of place in your parents’ record collection. And the musical appears as popular as ever, having undergone a Broadway rerun in 2000, followed by a TV movie with Matthew Broderick (most of us remember the 1962 film with Robert Preston). Joining professional and amateur troupes throughout North America, Victoria Operatic Society has dusted of this cherished 1957 chestnut.

A lot of work has gone into this production, boasting two enthusiastic leads who sing pretty well: Chris Newstead as Harold ‘Music Man’ Hill and Inge Illman as Maria, a librarian who learns there’s more to life than the Dewey Decimal System. Illman’s university training as a singer shows, despite a few minor pitchy moments in the upper register on Friday night. Her rendition of the love song, Goodnight My Someone, was particularly striking. Newstead’s singing voice didn’t always project with the clarion clarity of Illman’s, but he had his share of moments, and brings an appealing physical dexterity to the role that suits Hill’s slippery character.

While Seventy Six Trombones is the tune that sticks in one’s head like a burr to a gym sock, this musical’s real gem is Till There was You, quite nicely rendered by Illman and Newstead.

Even by the standards of musical theatre, The Music Man is pretty white-bread stuff. This being the case, it might have been worthwhile for director Jeanette Dagger to spice things up by sprinkling in some cheeky humour. As far as depth of character goes, the two leads have a cardboard cut-out quality. Perhaps Harold Hill might by a little slyer and nastier; the confounding winning over of Marian could be leavened with a liberal dose of modern-day skepticism and irony on her part. Even a couple of topical references might work, although this is admittedly risky when dealing with a beloved classic.

There are other principals: Heather Lewis as Mrs. Paroo, Jaymes D. Goodman as the mayor, Cheryl Prestie as his wife and Hunter Watson who presented a cute turn as the lisping Whinthrop (the role alternates with Bryn Evans). However, The Music Man is very much an ensemble effort, dotted with rising talents such as Jason Vikse as bad boy Tommy and a host of others possessing varying abilities but irreproachable enthusiasm. A welcome touch is a series of appearances by the B Natural barbershop quartet, who acting may not win Tonys but harmonize well.

The best and wittiest scene in this production is the first one. A gaggle of traveling salesmen sing Rock Island, a sort of latter-day rap in which the fellows boast about their wares and discuss the mysterious Mr. Hill. A well-rehearsed VOS crew nailed this, capturing click-a-clack rhythm of the song (mimicking the noises of a moving train) in both voice and movements. The set of a train car’s interior is cleverly constructed, and the sequence benefited from a rotating light effect providing as sense of motion.

Some of the other sets – a Victoria house, a library interior – were well conceived and functional, although the town street scene looks not so much quaint as high-school amateurish. Well-known Victoria conductor George Corwin oversees a pit orchestra that will no doubt become more cohesive as the run progresses.