Reviews

Speaking as a lady who has seen the 1962 version many times, and has herself been involved in several amateur stage productions of this musical, I can honestly say that I enjoyed this new version every bit as much as the original. I'm certainly old enough to remember Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, et al., in their heyday, and remain a loyal fan of the old production, BUT...there is much to recommend the remake. The set is visually sumptuous, an apple-y slice of post-Victorian Americana; the costumes are simply gorgeous, even the not-quite-believable multi-cultural casting invests the film with an idealized "melting-pot" spirit which I find uplifting.

As for the cast, say what you will about Matthew Broderick being "no Robert Preston": I saw his interpretation of Harold Hill to be that of a man who is a dreamer and idealist in spite of himself; someone who, in spite of personal flaws, has great charm and a magic touch, and can't help but leave "something beautiful" in his wake. This is the kind of person I could see a misfit small-town librarian falling for, more so than a Puckish, fast-talking, over-the-top pied piper, (though Robert Preston's characterization had its own irresistibility.) Someone who is capable of at-long-last falling in love with the right woman and (gasp!) reforming. Broderick's singing was more than adequate for the role: yes, folks, it certainly WAS. In "Ya Got Trouble", he struck the right note of insinuation in his set-up of the "River Citizians"; being able to plant the seeds of discord, then stay under the radar until the time was ripe to really make his pitch to the town.

Kristen Chenoweth was perfectly cast as my ideal Marian: petite, blonde, brisk, intelligent, independent, yet with a core of dreamy wistfulness. Her voice, with it's brilliant yet tender soprano, rings out like a golden bell in numbers such as "My White Knight" and "Will I Ever Tell You?". In these numbers, she gives glints of her "operatic voice", which I've heard in Bernstein's "Candide", in her portrayal of Cunegonde. She is very much on par with Shirley Jones, who seemed somewhat softer and more girlish than Chenoweth's "Marian." Indeed, Jones' Marian reminded me more of her earlier role as the fickle and barely post-adolescent Laury, in "Oklahoma". Such a comparison will doubtless strike some as a facile statement of the obvious, actors can't help but play themselves to a degree, but I like my Marian to be more worldly and out-of-step with River City: a bit more of a rebel than Jones' prim and petulant leading lady.

As for the rest of the cast, I liked Victor Garber as a more sharp-eyed and sharp-voiced Mayor Shinn, with less bumbling and bombast; although again, Paul Ford played it his way, and made it funny and believable. Garber, though, gave the story a slightly dangerous edge, with more suspense, as though Harold really could get into some serious trouble if discovered. Molly Shannon was cute, but folks, Hermione Gingold was incomparable as Eulalie McKecknie Shinn. Buddy Hackett is the only Marcellus for me, apologies to the nice young man who also portrayed him. The teenage couple was cute, little Winthrop adorable, eerily channeling Ron Howard when he was first known as "Ronnie". Debra Monk was cast in "my" role, the cheerful, comfortable mother figure of Widow Paroo. And wasn't she attractive, in a middle-aged, rosy and well-ripened way? Not at all like your typical stick-thin, botoxed, eternally 30ish Disneymoms. I could almost see Harold going for her, if he didn't catch Marian.

Kathleen Marshall, a choreographer? I'll say she is; what a neat surprise! Kind of like re-discovering Christopher Walken as a Broadway song-and-dance man, or Jim Carrey as a "serious" actor. I loved "Shipoopi" as a dance number, and likewise, "Marian the Librarian". The "fantasy" scene between Marian and Harold was precious and funny.

The only serious criticism I would level at this version of "The Music Man" might be a lack of more wide shots in the big production numbers. It really did have the feel of a "made-for-t.v." movie. Also, I think Broderick played the last scene too low-key. He should have been absolutely sweating bullets as he pleaded with his band to "think, men...think!" Finally, where was that bellowing foghorn of a tuba in the "Minuet In G"? The boys' band could have sounded more horrific for the first several measures. Whenever I would play in the pit orchestra, this musical's passage would always make us musicians bust a gut laughing, because it was so much fun to play so badly!