I met The Music Man as a child on cable TV and HBO. I watched the movie over and over fully enamoured by Robert Preston’s portrayal of Professor Harold Hill. I memorized the songs and my sister, Randi, memorized the choreography. We discovered that our dad had the vinyl album of the original soundtrack from the movie and we listened to it frequently (even recording it on a cassette tape).
Over the years I have met The Music Man in various settings from high school auditoriums to college theaters to community theaters.
I even was able to act in a community theater’s production (the Galaxy Players) as Mrs. Squires, one of the pick-a-little ladies. But this weekend, I met him at the Hanna Theater, part of Cleveland’s Playhouse Square Theater District and fell in love again with the show.
I introduced my husband, Bobby, to the musical early in our marriage. We can’t remember whether it was the movie or a live production, but it has easily become one of our favorite shows. Which is one reason why I have seen it so many times. It was Bobby’s request that we get tickets for the production in Cleveland. We decided to go as an early birthday present for him.
Let me tell you, the show was great! The cast was so good. From the first note to the last I was transported to 1912 River City, Iowa where I could root for the scoundrel Professor Harold Hill to win over the heart of spinster librarian Marian Paroo. Along the way we watched the town of stubborn Iowans become people we wanted to know better.
I’ll have to admit here, that I’m always a little skeptical when I watch a new production of The Music Man. I love the music of course, but I wonder how the lead actor will handle the role of Professor Hill. Alex Syiek did an amazing job. His mannerisms and intonations of lines that I have heard dozens of times brought out nuances that I have missed previously. The same goes for Jillian Kates who was Marian Paroo. Her interpretation of Marian was terrific. You could feel her frustration over Winthrop’s distance and then elation when he began to come out of his shell. You — or at least I — wept when she sang “My White Knight” explaining to her mother the type of man she “could love ’til she died.” Then crying all over again when Marian professed her love to Harold in “‘Til there Was You” as they met at the footbridge. Incidentally, “meet me at the footbridge” a phrase Harold says to Marian in the show, has become a recurring one in our marriage. Whenever we are anywhere near a bridge, overpass, or culvert one of us says to the other, “meet me at the footbridge.” Once we are there, we kiss. Not necessarily the passionate kiss like Marian and Harold, but one that reminds us that as hopeless romantics, we belong together.
We were impressed by the choregraphy of the show, too. It’s one thing to watch the movie. You know that they could re-do the scenes over and over until they were perfect if needed. But with live theater, well, it’s live. No chance to go back and try it again. This cast did an amazing job. Again, with the many times we have seen The Music Man we have seen plenty of different types of choregraphy. Some of the toughest scenes, I think to do in theater are dance scenes like the “Madam Librarian” scene. There are all these moving parts from people to tables to books. They did a tremendous job. They even had a staircase on wheels! That made me a little nervous, because accidents can happen. But they pulled it off, which is evidence of the tons of practice they put in and the number of shows they have done this season.
We had gotten there early enough that we were able to enjoy the pre-show lecture. The presenter, Stephanie, gave history about Meredith Wilson, the creator of The Music Man as well as history about the show’s arrival on Broadway in 1956. It won the Tony Award in 1957 for best musical, beating out West Side Story. She explained the different musical styles in the show and how they pointed back to the era of the time the show was placed in and not the modern times of the 1950’s. She talked of things like the parlor songs and the marches and how Seventy-Six Trombones and Good Night My Someone were actually the same tune paced differently. (Probably not her exact words, but close, I think!)
Oh lest I forget, let me tell you about the theater itself. The Hanna Theater is a 500 seat venue that is home to the Great Lakes Theater company. The Hanna Theater has been around since 1921. It originally had enough seats for 1,397 people. However, it was renovated in 2008 to what I would assume is a much more comfortable layout. Yet it has the feel of the majestic theaters of old including the box seating and plush carpet.
I honestly haven’t given the Playhouse Square Theater District much thought, having never been there. But after our experience, I would have no problem going again. And I would highly recommend taking in a show done by The Great Lakes Theater. The way they handled The Music Man was wonderful. I’m confident they would treat any show just as well.
