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The Music Man

July 14, 2011 by · Comments Off on The Music Man 

The Music ManThe Music Man, “The Music Man”, delivered on the promises of grandeur and scale, but missed a little more likely due to the short amount of time Encore Musical Theatre Company had to pull the production together. It does not take a genius to know that a program like “Forever Plaid”, where there are fewer than a half dozen actors in the cast would be easier to run a show with 34 people on stage – sometimes all at once.

Despite stretching the capabilities of the company limits the long program was very pleasant through both acts, which relentlessly approached two-hour show.

Zachary Barnes shone like a real star as the Music Man himself, Harold Hill, an adorable sleazeball crook that blows in and out of cities across the state until the residents are ready for any tar and feathers as well as a sales pitch says in an alley.

Leo Babcock did a wonderful job recreating small U.S. cities with influences from today Dexter, as the roundabout is in the center of the stage, a clear nod to the passion of people for the space of gazebos and park.

River City, Iowa, both in terms of staging and the atmosphere emitted by the characters that live there are clearly early 20th century American taste. As mentioned, there are 34 cast members, so sometimes there is a real feeling that you are viewing a small town in a park bench or behind the window of a coffee shop. The sequence of initial training and the way in implementing the delivery of the musical line in a train pretends to be particularly intelligent and a joy to watch.

Stephanie Souza’s best asset is her beautiful voice, which left me completely as she sings “My white horse” from the left side of the stage. Range of his voice will take the audience off guard because of the confidential nature at the edge of his character as nebbish librarian of the city.

Although Marian Paroo Souza may have been a little too reserved. The marriage of Mary Ann and Harold was not as gradual and perfect I have seen the company’s Encore out in other productions. At one point she hides a key piece of evidence from the mayor of River City, I understand that the character does in the plot. I do not even understand it as a logical decision, as winds Hill to give back to the city, including the younger brother of Paroo, on the accident in the course of conning you into buying instruments and band uniforms.

However, the progression of the relationship did not feel as natural as it could have, would have helped move things along more. Usually there is a trail of crumbs moments before the great revelation that, “Yes, I have feelings for that person that I have known for a long time.”

Clearly a lot of time was spent rehearsing choreography and large parts, assemblies involved, which adds a depth of atmosphere and character of “Music Man”, which shows some others have shown from the post in the Encore virtuoso “of Morocco Club.” The villagers and their children are used very effectively to give life to this small American city, giving the show a sense of place is integral to the plot, and that ultimately the character of the city itself is what it all comes down a.

The children of “Music Man” are some of the best performers on the stage I’ve seen in Dexter. Babcock Linus does a wonderful job as Winthrop Paroo affected lisp, the younger brother of Marian and the driving force of character development of Hill and awakens romance element that the headliners in the first place.

The school board characters, played by Chuck Colby, Jesse Yost, Michael Szymanski and Jeff Steinhauser, may well star in his own spin-off show the excellent quartet that Hill created unconsciously as a means of distraction from efforts of the people the city ‘to pry into his credentials as a music teacher.

Sharon Larkey’s costumes were great during the Saturday night screening of “The Music Man”, which seemed to be absent technical problems with the costumes and the sound seems to be a problem during the initial investigation of the press last night Friday.

There were still some points where the letters were blurred, but perfection is going to be out of reach until the building of the theater and the stadium gets some improvements that will not be paid for the night.

It’s “The Music Man”, a great show?

The answer is yes. It is a rich production full of colorful characters and wonderful music that will delight audiences for his long life.

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