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MTW Brings SPLENDER "The Music Man"..An American Lovable Family Musical Show-- It Won 5 Top TONY's-- all Vs. the Legendary West Side Story

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The Music Man -- An American Lovable Family Musical Show-- It Won 5 Top TONY's-- all Vs. the Legendary West Side Story

Reviewed By JosephSirota                                 

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The Music an has been an audience pleaser since its 1957 Broadway with... 5-Tony-Wins. The story centers on an inner-tug-of-war for Mr. Harold Hill, the cleverest, "sly-con-artist" and charmer among traveling salesmen. Half call him a winner, but others hate him as a crook who gives em' all a bad name, & hurts "our" Fair Sales "we" work hard for. Hill, deems his rivals just jealous, & sets out to prove he'll easily charm, sell & earn a "bundle" at River City, a small town with a tough, suspicious Mayor, & even more nosy & gossiping town's women sniffing about $$ scams & any unmarried romances. And, there's Marian the Librarian/Piano teacher who's a beauty, but smart, sharp & ever-shielded from rogues. Regardless of these watchdogs, Hill, who cons as "Music Professor H. Hill", (an un-earned title Marion see- through, before Hill gets a word in! "Hill's determined to use his phony Music Sale, "Con-Charm-the-Women & Befriend-the-town's-hopeful-kids. Near winning, we see he can grab mucho town cash(down-payments for Kids Instruments to play..& fancy uniforms for them to wear(charming parade promises for all year). Marian has fallen for him & his tale to uplift town spirit via Music & parades!! Parents & Kids paid cash, in now in Hill's hands, & he's about to catch the next train out, before the town gets Nothing! Guess the End of Hill's tug-of-war! Does he choose$$...or his true Love? Hmm?

The Music Man may seem sweet & rather small town in societal characters & social events, but many call it All-America. Meredith Willson, its creator of Book, Music and Lyrics grew up in Middle-America and worked years bringing each song and character to full life. He passionately knew by reality what would be funny & get smiles, and what would reach out for playful love, vs. finding lifelong LOVE when you find it. He kept polishing, and kept only the very best pieces that captured the hearts, lips & funny-bones of even Big City sophisticates. Don't forget, this was written and hit Broadway in the 1950's -- when TV comedies like Lucy & Dizzy, Sid Caesar, Our Miss Brooks, and Farther Knows Best and The Beaver plus Westerns were what American families sat around living rooms laughing & rooting for the Good-Guys together(or harmonizing). It was when families had been through WWII and the Korean War (& pre the worst of the Vietnam War. America was in the mood for clever, but clean cut fun joy! (Before the Mid 1960's brought in (Free-Love & wide leg pants or later silky beaded Disco tops). Looking back, that's why The Music Man won Five(5) TOP Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Lead Actor...etc --&  They WON All Of Their "GOLD TONY's in the same year that West Side Story was nominated for these same awards. Think of that... West Side Story's team: Leonard Bernstein, S.Sondheim, Jerome Robbins & Harold Prince are deemed high among America's Musical Stage Greatest Creators! 2-Wows in one Yr!

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Another Successful Step was from Live Broadway Musical to All-American Musical-Film(for families far away from or unaffordable of the Big Apple's live gems. The Music Man turned out to be the perfect success to bring Broadway to reachable family local Big-Screens too. Its wide range of energizing  musical numbers again touched different feelings for different family members. The funny numbers include: Ya Got Trouble(Hill scares em of pool halls to sell music paraphernalia)Pickalittle Talk-a-Little(High-speed laughs about busybodies), and  Shipoopi(Raucously Dancing to win Town kids & adults over to music, & last but never least, is the Bigger-than-Life, march, 76 Trombones, the shows "signature" that simply makes every soul wanna' strut, play, sing and just plane feel you're "special". Now lets not forget theshow's ROMANCE; Good Night My Someone; It's You; Will I Ever Tell You?; Till There Was You; The Sadder-But- Wiser Girl; and My White Knight -- that Harold Hill may not be a true Professor of Teaching Music, but he sure can teach falling-in-love(to even hard-students). Yes, all these show-stoppers are great on Movie Screens-- But just wait till you see em Men/Women/ & super-lively KIDS zoom across stage!

>Outstanding Casting! Makes MTW 61+ Season Production Too Giantic in Talent, Number & Energy an Army to Write all they Merit:.a few:

Leads: Hill(Davis Gaines-MTW King!) & Marian(Gail Bennett A+) Flow with talent, Fit Well, Likable, Energetic, Sing Well--& 100% in Duets.  Marian's Mother (Cathy Newman) & Marian's young Brother(Kevin Ciardelli) & Amaryllis(Maggie Balleweg) Light up Marian-Unwed Days

Ornery Delight-- Mayor Shinn(Joey D'Auria) & Mayor's Undefeated-leader/Wife(Rebecca Spencer) & Sultry Daughter(Ashley Anderson)  

Hill's former con-man pal, Marcellus now lives "clean" in River City(Matt Walker) on-the-nose verve/timing...tries to help old pal...sans Jail!

Mayor's Wife's 4 Gossipy Friends: Oh-My! Wanna' know any secrets? ask em: (Caralee Hill, Jenny Moon Shaw, Paige Brinskele, Donna Louden)

School Board / also town's fine Barbershop Quartet(Jacey Squires, Ewart Dunlop, Oliver Hix, Olin Britt) Good Singers, and lots of fun.

Tommy Djilas--smart, handsome young guy from wrong-side-of-town...(Christian Villanueva.. wins heart of Mayor's daughter & Helps Hill

As far as the Creative team, there's far more than even the talent army on stage. Off the stage of this Busy Show are very capable folks who are equally worthy of applause and boys. Jeff Maynard(Director), John Todd(Choreographer) & Corey Hirsch(Musical Director) are great thinkers, solvers, and creators that together with each other, put together countless decisions to bring us a WINNING show -- we see unfolding based on Meredith Willson & Franklin Lacey Broadway's beloved Classic. From the audience's extremely positive throughout the show, and the long, loud standing ovation at the final curtain, the above three's guidance of the big terrific cast, excellent live orchestra, & production wise folk, the show was as good as the "SOLD-OUT" tickets hoped for. Let's not forget Kelley Marie Pate,(stage mgr), Mary Ritenhour(Production Mgr), Kevin Clowes (Technical Dir), Jean-Yves Tessier(Lighting), Brian S. Hsieh(Sound), The Theatre Company(Costumes) each had nary a slip!

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THE MUSIC MAN : @ The Musical Theatre West at Carpenter Performing Arts Ctr, 6200 E. Atherton Street, Long Beach CA. Showtimes: Thurs & Fri @ 8:pm, Sat @ 2 pm & 8:pm, Sun @ 2:pm Matinees. Run Ends: Mar 2. Tkts From $20-up. (Group rates available) Buy online @ www.musical.org or by phone @ 562-856-1999 Ext-4. Tkts also @ MTW Box Office- 4350 E. 7th St. Long Beach, CA 90804 (noon-6:pm M-F)  .





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