BWW Reviews: MSMT Makes MUSIC MAN an Irresistible Valentine

Who doesn't love Meredith Willson's classic musical, Music Man.with its thrilling score, its witty humor, its irresistible combination of bravura and unabashed romanticism? Generations have grown up on movie versions and memories of the big Broadway productions. So when a company undertakes a revival of such a classic, they risk the inevitable comparisons. Undaunted, Maine State Music Theatre has mounted a grand, original, and compelling look at this cornerstone of American musical theatre. The new production, directed by Marc Robin, starring Curt Dale Clark and Lauren Blackman, which opened at Brunswick's Pickard Theatre on July 16, skillfully fuses the familiar and the fresh into an evening of absolute delight.

Director/choreographer Robin, once again demonstrates his ability to examine a work from a different perspective, to honor the timeless in the piece and discover the eternally contemporary. Among his signature strengths are his impeccable, intensely musical sense of timing and flow - in this case an excellent combination of the stage and cinematic idioms; his ability to fill the stage with individual characters and their stories; his deft and dizzying choreography, and perhaps most of all, his gift for finding the heart and humanity of a piece.

Music Director Brian Cimmet, conducting the seven-member orchestra, brings energy and emotion to Wilson's brilliant score. Charles S. Kading's painterly sets are both elegant and serviceable, their muted colors suggesting the patina of a bygone era. Despite the challenges of large cast of forty-three and the numerous set changes, Kading (with props designed by Kyle Melton) creates moveable units and drops which enhance the flow of the action and create an aura of nostalgia. Jeff Hendry's costumes evoke the romance of a bygone day in his graceful period costumes in pastel hues, complemented by Gerard James Kelly's wig designs. Jesse Klug's soft lighting palette and magical effects (such as the starry night at the footbridge) add to the captivating ambiance, while Brett Rothstein's sound design is balanced and embracing.

Much of the success of the Music Man rides on the performances of its two leading characters, Harold Hill and Marian Paroo, and in Curt Dale Clark and Lauren Blackman, MSMT has the perfect duo. As the fast-talking con man Hill, Clark dominates the stage from his first appearance in the proto-rap rhythms of the train scene. He demonstrates a keen ear for the heartland's cadences and an eye for the gestures of this iconic character. Possessed of a rich, chocolaty voice with just the right amount of brass when needed, he handles both the bold and the intimate songs with flair and conviction; moreover, he is a stylish dancer, and a captivating, charismatic presence who makes Hill's salesmanship completely believable. But, perhaps best of all is the sensitivity and subtlety with which he handles Hill's transformation, making his declaration of love to Marian touchingly truthful. Blackman brings to the librarian a similar vulnerability which is masked by her initially frosty reserve and prim, self-imposed distancing of herself from the community and from her inner emotions. Blackman's soprano is a lovely instrument, seamless throughout its range, and effortless in the high tessitura of the part, and she makes Marian's three big numbers show highlights.

The supporting cast is uniformly enchanting. Charis Leos limns a colorful, amusing, and touching portrait of the pretentious Mayor's wife, Eulalie; David Girolmo plays her overbearing husband, Mayor Shinn, with wrong-headed bluster; April Woodall is a warm-hearted, motherly Mrs. Paroo, and Jayson Elliott is roguish as Hill's nimble accomplice, Marcellus Washburn. Spencer Clark is a winningly rebellious Tommy Djilas and Liz Schmitz the naïve, infatuated object of his affections, Zaneeta Shinn, and both are stunning dancers. The Barbershop Quartet of Paul Aguirre, Steve Gagliastro, Peter McClung, and John H. Thyen, captures the individual idiosyncrasies of their characters at the same time they produce mellifluous harmonies together; John R. Edmonds is an oily, menacing Charlie Cowell, Hill's rival salesman and nemesis, and Glenn Anderson is an officious Constable.

The Pickalittle Ladies (Beth Kirkpatrick, Jillaine McGough, Chrissy Albanese, Birdie Newman Katz, and Cary Michele Miller as Ethel Toffelmeier) all contribute characterful moments. Dance Captain Buddy Reeder brings an athletic energy to his choreography and character. The River City townsfolk - (Michaela K. Boissoneault, Sara Bond, Alec Cohen, James Spencer Dean, Mary Beth Donahue, Michgael Graceffa, Benjamin Henley, Thomas Blake Hogan, Jordan Lipes, Leah Nicoll, Reagan Danel Ogle, DeAngelo Renard, and Stefanie Sable) - are a talented ensemble of young actors, who impress with their striking dancing, acting, and tumbling, and merit individual mention for the detail of their characterisarions and the joie de vivre they bring to the overall production.

The large children's cast is headed by young Andrew Lyndaker, in a touching performance as the withdrawn, troubled Winthrop, and Lily Ramras as the sweetly, star-struck Amaryllis. With his clear boy soprano and amazing dance panache, Lyndaker enjoys the spotlight in Winthrop's two musical numbers. The remainder of the children's ensemble (Samuel Allen, Jonah Daiute, Aymeric Dauge-Roth, Aidan Gallagher, Emma Joanis, Alexa Reddy, Madeleine Vaillancourt, and Waverly Jane Moller as Gracie Shinn) each makes lively contributions to the overall tapestry.

MSMT's sumptuous production of the Music Man makes clear why Meredith Willson's show is both timeless and contemporary, a valentine to the quintessential American musical. Enlisting the full resources of its talented artists, the company once again seems to outdo itself. In the first scene one of the litanies the salesmen recite is "But he doesn't know the territory," an accusation leveled at Harold Hill, but also, ironically one which Meredith Willson had to endure in his twelve-year uphill struggle to bring Music Man to Broadway. As Willson did with his courage, persistence, and genius, MSMT does with its own unique creative recipe, demonstrating that in the world of musical theatre, the company not only knows the territory, but has distinguished itself masterfully!

Photos Courtesy MSMT, Roger S. Duncan, photographer

Music Man runs from july 16- August 1, 2015, at the Pickard Theatre in Brun swick, ME. www.msmt.org 207- 725-8769