The Music Man Delivers Exactly What You’re Expecting
Thousand Islands Playhouse describes their production of The Music Man is as follows: “A charming con man arrives in River City, Iowa intending to dupe its residents with an elaborate money making scheme. But his plans to get the cash and skip town are foiled when he finds himself falling head-over-heels for the small community and its beautiful librarian.”
And that is exactly what the show is.
There is no more nuance in this production, no deeper message, nothing else of note. I cannot stress enough how much of a standard production of The Music Man this is. If you are looking to see it as it was staged originally in 1957, you’re in luck. There weren’t really any risks taken or boundaries pushed, and sometimes that’s what audiences are looking for, fine! But I would’ve been happy to see this talented creative team take on something that has the potential to be more relevant.
The narrative themes of The Music Man offer nothing to an audience other than outdated jokes and nonsense songs. Many of the (outdated and irrelevant) jokes did not even land, some of which didn’t even seem to be understood by the cast themselves. Considering TIP is a staple of the Gananoque summer line-up, and a critical part of the economy, generating in around five million dollars of revenue annually, the same cast could have effectively put on The Sound of Music, where at least there would’ve been the potential to have the audience think critically about how the show is reflected in our current reality. This was specifically mentioned in the pre-show announcements at my Thursday evening performance, coming right before the push for membership subscriptions and right after the land acknowledgement. How timely.
The highlights of the show include the youth ensemble, who are given agency throughout the show in their highlighted dance numbers. It was clear that they were enthusiastic in their work in an earnest and charming way that only kids can be. Personally, they were often the focus of larger group numbers because they displayed such genuine excitement while performing.
Also of note was the work of dance captain Meghan Caine as the mayor’s daughter, Zaneeta Shinn, and her bad-boy love interest, Tommy Dijilas (Daniel Yeh). They were well-matched as both dance partners and actors, extending that same genuine “fun” energy that the youth ensemble brought.
Technically speaking, the show was well executed. The white background and interchangeable set pieces (designed by Brandon Kleiman) were strongly suited for this dance-heavy show, contextualising the minimalism as an effective choice rather than a budgetary necessity.
The costume design (Robin Fisher and Joshua Quinlan) was exactly what I expected—flamboyant and era-appropriate. The craftsmanship was evident, but the design was not especially risk taking, the costumes were an extension of the show itself.
The music direction (Rachel Cameron) seamlessly blended into the action on stage, but it was one of the only elements of the show that were consistent.
Director/Choreographer Stephanie Graham fell into the unfortunate trap of directing musical theatre, only focusing on the musical numbers and not the play itself (though to be fair, there isn’t much to focus on in this show). There seemed to be a lack of understanding of the music and its usage at some points. Transitional songs were given uninterrupted stage time (I’m thinking of Pickalittle [Talk-a-Little] Repris, specifically) which made the second act feel as if it was dragging on.
The chemistry of the two leads Harold Hill (David Leyshon) and Marian Paroo (Kate Blackburn) was stagnant. The long awaited kiss between the two was so painfully long, still, and rigid, that it had me scouring the programme for any mention of an intimacy coordinator so I could point to the person responsible for it (unsurprisingly, I did not find one).
My gripe with the show is the show itself. There is really no reason for anyone to put on this show ever. It offers the audience nothing to take away, and most of the jokes and songs feel like filler. Perhaps this choice in programming is an attempt to ride that wave of popularity of the current Broadway production of the same show with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. That is the only reason I can think of as to why this is being staged in Gananoque now.
But, to be clear, the production on Broadway is also coming off as out of touch and boring.
I’d like to challenge TIP to find a classic musical they can put on that is both entertaining and challenging to their audience. I myself am a lover of classic musicals, and I am acutely aware of how stagings like this one gives musical theatre a bad reputation in and out of the theatre community. Not every show needs to shove a message down the throats of its audience, but it should at least offer the audience something new or interesting to take with them.
There is no doubt the company can put on a good musical, but do that, and take it a couple steps further.
So if you want a night out that feels like you’ve stepped back into the ‘good old days’, this is a great option. But don’t count on this show taking away your worries for long.
The Music Man is running at the Thousand Islands Playhouse from July 19 -Aug 20, 2022. Tickets and more information here.
