The Music Man Review

This past Thursday I went to see Erica in The Music Man. I was very excited to finally get to see it, and I was not disappointed.

Now, keep in mind that I’ve never seen the show before, anywhere. I’ve never even seen the movie. The closest I’ve come is seeing the songs performed in the Simpsons and in Family Guy.

First off, the look of the show was great. The backdrops were painted by a local artist, Richard Prouse, and were both beautifully done and charming, bringing you right back to the Midwest in the 1900s. I enjoyed the fact that the band was situated on stage, where they became an interactive part of the set. They also played wonderfully, and never detracted from the action. The costumes were also fantastic, and the hats! Wow.

Although the set and costumes definitely gave the impression of the correct time period, it was obviously not attempting to be a ‘period’ piece. Some costume pieces and props were modern, but I didn’t feel that it detracted from the show. It almost made you feel that the story could be happening today, instead of in 1912.

The children actors in the show were fantastic. They threw themselves whole-heartedly into the play, and were totally enjoyable to watch. Honestly, I’d have to mention almost every name to cover all of the kids that particularly stood out to me.

Another actor that I particularly enjoyed was Nick Jones, playing Marcellus. He was definitely my favorite character in the show; he also sung my favorite number in the show, shipoopi. It was a great company number with all the kids dancing, great costumes that accentuated the dance, and hilarious lyrics. Then again, maybe I just liked it so much because I saw it on Family Guy first.

It’s very easy to make a silly musical bad. Just one person who doesn’t act ridiculous, when appropriate, is enough to severely detract from the show. Having never seen the show before, I had understood it was a silly show, as most musicals from that time period are. The Music Man did not disappoint. And the entire cast did everything they could to ham it up, making the entire effect a wonderful, enjoyable, fun show to watch.