Review: THE MUSIC MAN at Ahmanson Theatre

THE MUSIC MAN is a revered and beloved musical about the joys of small-town Americana. Its 1957 premiere snagged nine Tony nominations, winning five, including Best Musical. The 2000 Broadway revival was nominated for eight, and the 2022 revival snagged six more. The cast album spent 12 weeks at #1 on Billboard, winning a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album. The show permeated the American zeitgeist such that it spawned parodies and references in TV, film, and music, an Emmy-nominated TV movie in 2003, and even a comic book. In 1962, a film version received six Academy Award nominations, including one for Best Picture, and a win for Ray Heindorf for Best Musical Score (Adaptation or Treatment). Meredith Willson (book, music, lyrics, and story by) and Franklin Lacey’s (story by) creation is an American treasure.

Which makes it surprising that the show at the Ahmanson is the first time it’s been in Los Angeles in 40 years. Age doesn’t look bad on THE MUSIC MAN, however; it is just as delightful as ever. The plot: When charismatic con man Harold Hill (Elliott Andrews) lands in River City, Iowa, he sets about selling musical instruments in a ploy to set up a boy band. As he bewitches the town, he is bewitched himself by the local librarian (Elizabeth D’Aiuto), throwing a wrench into his ploy to dupe the citizens of their money.

Willson’s music and lyrics are still utterly charming and the characters all pop with their eccentricities and affectations. Director Matt Lenz moves a fairly large ensemble seamlessly across the stage, garnering fantastic performances from the entire cast from the leads down to every member of the ensemble starting with the first scene on the train (“Rock Island”) with every actor allowed moments to shine. The choreography by Joshua Bergasse is dazzling and creative, the energy never flagging. Those dancers are athletes. The set design by Ann Beyersdorfer beautifully evokes small-town America of 1912, when the story is set, from the town square to the library. The video and projection design by Lisa Renkel is eye-popping, firmly establishing both place and mood, with some of the backdrops appearing to be watercolors and others stained glass. The costumes, designed by Santo Loquasto and coordinated by Robin L. McGee, are fantastic, colorful, and creative.

And then, of course, there are those songs. Hearing them performed by this cast and the orchestra helmed by Thomas Fosnocht is like hearing them for the first time. “(Ya Got) Trouble,” “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Gary, Indiana,” and “Pickalittle” are classics that never get old, and the sterling cast does them justice. Andrews has a commanding presence, and D’Aiuto has a stunning voice. Of the standouts in the ensemble, Savannah Stevenson as Marian’s mother is a particular gem. Everyone here is firing on all cylinders, creating another effervescent take on one of America’s most beloved shows. It is endlessly enjoyable, an absolute joy.

There is a timelessness — and maybe a wistfulness — to THE MUSIC MAN. It’s clearly a paean to small towns, not just in the Midwest, but everywhere. World War I was two years away, the Depression was almost two decades ahead, and it all seems like a simpler time, a golden time, especially compared to the world we live in now. While that may play as corny to the more grizzled audience members, THE MUSIC MAN offers cheer and romance and, dare I say it, hope, and that is something we always need. 

Photos by Marshall Meadows

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