BWW Reviews: Staging, Dance Give This MUSIC MAN Spark at Ogunquit

Book, music and lyrics by Meredith Willson; story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey; directed by Ray Roderick; music directed by Ken Clifton; choreographed by Jeffry Denman; set design, James Fouchard; costume design coordinator, Brent M. Bruin; lighting design, Richard Latta; sound design, Jeremy Oleksa; hair and makeup design, Emilia Martin; production stage manager, Jinay L. Reitze; associate and children's director, Paul Brewster; costumes provided by Costume World Theatrical; scenery originally designed and built for Pittsburgh CLO

Cast: Harold Hill, Peter Scolari; Marian, Julia Burrows; Mayor Shinn, William McCauley; Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, Beth McVey; Mrs. Paroo, Linda Cameron; Marcellus, Brad Bradley; Amaryllis, Elizabeth Elkington/Kylee Brown; Winthrop Paroo, Bryan Marden; Olinn Britt, Andy Redeker; Ewart Dunlop, Don Rey; Oliver Hix, Tripp Hampton; Jacey Squires, Jeremy Pasha; Charlie Cowell, Khris Lewin; Tommy Djilas, Bryan J. Cortes; Zaneeta Shinn, Becca Lee; Constable Locke, Roger Preston Smith; Gracie Shinn, Maggie Budzyna/Cali Scolari; Alma Hix, Blair Alexis Brown; Maud Dunlop, Jana Auspland; Ethel Toffelmeir, Hilaire C. Smith; Mrs. Squires, Britte Steele; Mrs. Britt, Kerry Schneider

Performances: Now through August 20, Ogunquit Playhouse, Route 1, Ogunquit, Maine. Tickets are priced from $76.50 - $53.50 and are available on line at www.ogunquitplayhouse.org, by calling Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787, or at the Box Office.

Emmy Award-winning actor Peter Scolari, best known for his television work opposite Tom Hanks in the '80s sitcom Bosom Buddies and in the long-running hit series Newhart, may be the cast member who gets star billing in The Music Man now at Maine's Ogunquit Playhouse through August 20. But the real stars of this delightfully fresh production of Meredith Willson's All-American musical classic are director Ray Roderick and choreographer Jeffry Denman, whose inventive staging and exuberant dance numbers are so clever and animated that they practically camouflage Scolari's subdued performance at the center.

It's not so much that Scolari misfires as the fast-talking, evangelistic traveling salesman/swindler who cons an entire turn-of-the-20^th-century Iowa town into buying musical instruments and expensive uniforms for a boys' band that will never materialize. Scolari is likable, and he does invest his scheming Professor Harold Hill with a keen eye and a shrewd understanding of human nature that he wryly exploits at every turn. He also still has a puckish boyish appeal that endears him to the earthy widow Mrs. Paroo (a fun and feisty Linda Cameron) and the flighty mayor's wife Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (a delightfully obtuse Beth McVey). It's just that his somewhat internalized comic persona lacks the larger-than-life spell-binding charm and sexual charisma needed to seduce not only the straight-laced and suspicious librarian Marian Paroo (strong-willed and golden voiced Julia Burrows), but the audience, as well.

In addition, Scolari really can't sing. His thin, pitchy voice diminishes his ability to mesmerize the refined citizens of River City in the rousing "Ya Got Trouble" and "Seventy Six Trombones." He also lacks the rich romantic powers of persuasion to melt Marian's defenses during "Marian the Librarian." Instead Scolari playfully cajoles, letting the dancing chorus do the heavy lifting of sweeping Marian off her feet and onto a library table.

Scolari's more introspective style of playing Harold Hill does work for him in unexpected ways during the pivotal love scene with Marian at the footbridge. With Burrows confidently declaring Marian's love for Hill in her beautifully sung "Till There Was You," Scolari's Hill seems utterly knocked off his pins. His reprise is then a very touching acknowledgement of self-discovery. He has become ruefully aware of all the time he's wasted manipulating instead of appreciating people's feelings.

Director Roderick and choreographer Denman wisely play to Scolari's consummate strength as a physical comedian to compensate for his atypical casting. They keep him dodging and weaving, wary, adapting, on edge and ready to bolt from the law at any second if his ruse is discovered. They also infuse the ensemble with such energy and exhilarating movement that Scolari's lack of "rainmaker" revival magnetism almost becomes inconsequential.

The supporting cast is filled with talent. William McCauley and Beth McVey, as the Mayor and Mrs. Shinn, are the heartland's version of Archie and Edith Bunker, he all blustery malapropisms and she a warm and wonderful dingbat. Linda Cameron as Marian's salt-of-the-earth widowed Irish mother Mrs. Paroo blends just the right amount of old world charm and pioneering immigrant backbone to deliver laughs and life lessons to her doubting daughter. Brad Bradley as Hill's former - and reformed - partner in crime Marcellus Washburn and Bryan J. Cortes as the misunderstood hoodlum Tommy Djilas dance up a storm in production numbers, especially the rafter-shaking "Shipoopi" which Denman smartly turns into a Midwestern hoedown. Denman also surprises with a Ragtime-influenced dance break during "Seventy Six Trombones," very apt considering the show is set in 1912.

Another highlight is the frequent appearance of the four contentious school board members who are turned into a harmonious barbershop quartet. Andy Redeker, Don Rey, Tripp Hampton and Jeremy Pasha make beautiful music together all the while moving in comical lock step.

The children in the cast - 30 plus singing and marching locals who fill the theatre at the finale - acquit themselves handily, too. Only Bryan Marden as the lisping Winthrop Paroo could use a bit more direction. His big solo reprise of "Gary, Indiana" in Act II shows that he has a clear, strong singing voice and a very nice presence. But early on we feel very little of his pain and suffering, since he appears neither shy nor grieving. Thus the opportunity for him to bond with Hill and look up to him as a new father figure is lost. So is the dramatic turning point in the show that changes Marian and Hill forever.

In a production that has so much joy and so much life, however, all minor flaws are forgiven. While the sound mix could use some leveling, costumes are exquisite, and lighting and set changes are seamless. Orchestrations also offer some interesting surprises, layering comic flourishes in some places and fixing the time period in others. All in all, Ogunquit's Music Man is a jubilant confection that is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the ear. By all means, treat yourself to this enduring piece of Broadway Americana. It's as refreshing as an ice cream soda on a hot summer day.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF OGUNQUIT PLAYHOUSE: Peter Scolari and the cast of The Music Man; Linda Cameron as Mrs. Paroo and Julia Burrows as Marian; the ensemble dances to Seventy Six Trombones

 

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