The Music Man Makes Good Trouble at the Marriott Theatre
From the inventive staging and costumes as colorful and refreshing as a dish of sherbet at a church social to the heartfelt, energetic performances and gorgeous singing, The Music Man at the Marriott Theatre hits nary a sour note.
Superbly directed and choreographed by Katie Spelman, this production benefits from performances that aim at each character’s true north. Charismatic, comedically sharp KJ Hippensteel as con man Harold Hill pairs well with Alexandra Silber and her fine operatic voice as small-town Iowa librarian Marian Paroo.
His journey toward respectability and hers toward opening her heart are greatly aided by the strong chemistry between them. They have met their match, in both senses of the word, and it’s a pleasure to watch them figure that out in real time.
Traveling salesman Hill has set his sights on picking the pockets of the flinty citizenry of River City. He’ll do so by forming a marching band that will put the town’s children on the good and righteous path. Of course, the parents will have to put up substantial sums to purchase the requisite uniforms, instruments and music books. Which Hill plans to pocket as he takes it on the lam before he’s exposed as a fraud who couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.
To sell the con, he woos Marian, who moonlights as a music teacher, to endorse the scheme. The thing is, everything Hill’s selling–including the band, a ladies dance club and a barbershop quartet–has a real uplifting effect on the town.
The juvenile delinquent straightens up when Hill pairs him with the mayor’s daughter. The school board members stop bickering when they start harmonizing. And Marion’s little brother, whose lisp has given him social anxiety, marches right out of his shell when he gets his hands on a beautiful cornet delivered by the Wells Fargo wagon.
Marian rebuffs Hill’s initial advances, but she soon realizes how much he’s improving the lives of her family and neighbors with his con. In short, she sees his potential, his vision and his heart, all of which he’s hidden even from himself.
Great comedic relief is provided by Alex Goodrich as the crazily gesticulating, sputting, malapop-prone Mayor Shinn who’s out to expose Hill as the fraud he knows he must be. He’s aided in that quest by Ron E. Rains as ridiculously self-righteous anvil salesman Charlie Cowell, who’s sick of Hill giving traveling salesmen a bad name in town after town.
A suite of enjoyable songs propels the story briskly along, especially the opening patter classics “Rock Island” and “Trouble,” as well as Silber’s beautiful duet with Hippensteel on “Till There Was You.”
The climax illuminates the timeless truth that all parents really want out of their children’s extracurricular activities is the opportunity to see them in the spotlight for a moment, no matter how off-key their performance might be.
This is a con we happily buy into, and one that every purveyor of children’s cultural and sports activities knows very well. We can all take that to the bank.
