Review: THE MUSIC MAN Spares No Detail

The Music Man opened Friday the 29th of January at The South Bend Civic Theatre with no detail spared on trying to make the classic musical come to life. The musical, whose book, music, and lyrics are by Meredith Willson with the story by both Willson and Franklin Lacey, became an instant hit in 1957 when it opened on Broadway. It won five Tony Awards, including "Best Musical", and ran for more than 1,300 performances. It also inspired revivals, a film adaptation, a television remake, and won the first "Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album".

The story follows a con-artist named Harold Hill who has come to River City, Iowa posing as a "Professor" to form a boy's band and teach the town folks' children how to play instruments. He convinces the citizens to pay him to order instruments and uniforms hoping he'll teach the new members of the band how to play. However, Hill's true intention is to make off with the money before anyone can realize he knows nothing about music. The story follows Hill's time in the town as his scheme unfolds. Through the course of the musical, there is political discourse, rivalries, overcoming fears, and romance. What makes this story come to life on stage is The South Bend Civic Theatre's production quality and casting.

Sitting in an almost full audience on opening night, not much sits before me on stage. The typical red curtains that hide what's going on behind it, a circular brick pattern before it, and on the left side a stoic and sophisticated brick entrance to "Madison Library". On the right is a quaint and charming blue wood-paneled home equipped with a porch. However, after an ingenious opening where a group of finely dressed men imitate riding on a train by bopping up and down on their luggage-turned seats, the big reveal occurs: once the curtains are lifted and the stage is flooded with ensemble members, you see just how far SBCT is willing to go to bring River City to life. Designed by Jacee Rohlck, the sugary sweet set appears, filled with pastel colored buildings, fairy lights, lace curtains, and a beautiful seemingly handwritten shop signs denoting where "Dunlops Ice Cream" shop is and where you can find the "Billiard" joint. The costume designs of the characters, done by Jim Geisel, only add to the antiquated but lively and innocent aura of River City in 1912. Everyone is dressed impeccably with not a hair out of place. Between the set and costumes, everything feels bright, cheery, and downright wonderful. When the ensemble enters the stage and begins to sing, all you can hear is beautifully harmonious notes that aren't muddled by the number of people, but rather sung clearly and crisply with a live orchestra accompanying them in the background. The ensemble never falters; regardless of what scene is being played out, all background characters are constantly in character, reactionary, and fully engaged. They never take a moment to rest but rather fully embrace their role as very engaged citizens of River City. The show is chock-full of clever bits, such as a realistic train imitation, a moment where a projector is used on stage with a sheet to mimic an outdoor movie, a real South Bend quartet cast among the singers, constant use of the aisles in the audience, and a library scene that has beyond crafty choreography that includes the use of books, foot taping, and dancing on tables.

What really makes the show is the astute casting:

Sean Leyes, an SBCT regular, plays the notorious (but redeemable) Harold Hill, "The Music Man". Leyes does the character justice by bringing undeniably devious charm to Harold Hill, but also a genuine softness that can leave any audience member wondering if Hill really is a charlatan. Leyes spares no detail in bringing Hill to life, using his acting chops to personify a man who is not all that he appears to be. He is the true superstar of the show.

Jared Wagner plays Marcellus Washburn, Harold Hill's old friend and former partner. Wagner and Leyes have undeniable chemistry and play off of each other's energy well, mostly due to Wagner's undeniable liveliness and creativity towards his character. They create a perfect duo on stage with Wagner's less sophisticated Washburn who hits the comical bits flawlessly.

I have been a fan of Nicholas Hidde-Halsey, who plays Tommy Djilas, since I saw him first at The Elkhart Civic Theatre and put him in another review. The role of Tommy is best described as the local delinquent who ends up secretly dating the Mayor's oldest daughter much to the Mayor's chagrin. While playing a smaller role than when I first saw him on stage, Hidde-Halsey makes his presence known no matter the size of the role.

Jensen Harms plays Winthrop Paroo and is impressively only in the 6th grade. Harms plays the complexity of Winthrop with an understanding that you would expect from an older and more seasoned actor. Harms is able to seamlessly play a boy insecure about his lisp who ends up finding his voice during a beautiful rendition of "Gary Indiana". Harms is able to successfully portray the journey of Winthrop going from a boy who barely spoke to a boy singing at the top of his lungs.

A few more notable performances comes from Gary Oesch, the Mayor who suspects Hill is up to no good and tries to warn the town, Sarah Holaway who plays Zaneeta, the Mayor's older daughter who is dating Tommy, and Lisa Blodgett, who is Ethel Toffelmier, essentially a comical buffoon prone to accidents. Each one of these actors were notably precise and exuberant in their portrayals.

However, the play is not without some faults. A few scenes truthfully lacked energy and quick pacing, translating into some awkward ebb and flow of the show. Additionally, even being in the fourth row, it was hard to hear a lot of the actors because of a lack of projection. Overall, much of the sound of the show was plagued by inconsistency; some actors spoke too low, sometimes the band was either too loud or too quiet, or the mics truly messed up the quality of sound. The mic did a disservice to Sean Leyes while singing as Harold Hill because it kept cutting in or out or making obstructive noises such as a weird feedback echo. In the same vein, Libby Klesmith who played the prominent librarian character Marian Paroo, could not be heard most of the time regardless of a mic despite having a beautiful singing voice. This might be a question of training or nerves but even Klesmith's speaking voice, while very sweet sounding, seemed monotone with little emotional delivery. The casting was questionable as there was very little chemistry between Leyes and Klesmith despite the very sensuous almost-kissing scene where they discuss using their lips to whistle. However, all of these things are mostly forgivable due to the talent presented on stage from all directions.

Altogether, The Music Man at SBCT is sure to delight and make for a great evening with the whole family. I recommend that everyone sees it. The cast is charismatic and combined with amazing costumes and lovely set, you'll be engaged throughout the entire show. It is whimsical, fun, and a great chance to sing along with some classic songs. The show runs from now until February 21st.

Photos Credit: Jon Gilchrist

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