"The Music Man" opened at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre to tremendous applause and accolades. The sold out house was very appreciative. For me the two standouts in this production were Katie Sina as Marian, the librarian whose voice and acting were super, and Will Hutcheson as Tommy, whose dancing and energy were simply spectacular.
The costuming by Jill Kelly was beautifully appropriate, as was the skeletal scenery designed by Michael Layton. The lighting design by Ryan Koharchik was equally good.
However there were numerous small things that bothered me. The rapid fire delivery of Jeff Stockberger as the Anvil salesman made him difficult to understand. One could not tell whether the leading man Harold Hill played by Curt Dale Clark was conning or telling the truth which could have been an attribute for his character. The lisp of the boy Winthrop played by Abraham Rittenhouse was not consistent. Douglas Stark as the Mayor and much of the rest of the cast missed many laughs due to the way they spoke the dated material. The usually talented choreographer Ron Morgan had uninspired dance maneuvers during the first act. This was much improved after the intermission. The thrilling finale was a surprise. Children from the audience were dressed in band uniforms holding brass instruments.
I am looking forward to Beef & Boards next production, "The Wizard Of Oz" with director Eddie Curry in the title role. TV star anchorwoman Trisha Shepherd will be seen as Glinda the good witch. Her counter part as the wicked witch will be reliable Lynne Perkins. Doug King will be the Scarecrow as Jeff Stockberger will perform the Tin Man. This classic musical runs from May 31 to July 15. A good time should be had by all.
