The Music Man Review

Civic's 'Music Man' is flawed but charming

Monday, September 10, 2007
BY JENN MCKEE News Arts Writer

The Ann Arbor Civic Theatre is currently giving Iowa a try, by way of Meredith Willson's "The Music Man''; and if you're even a casual fan of musical theater, you've got to know the territory.

In the show, seductive con man Harold Hill (Brian Hilligoss) convinces the town of River City to buy instruments and uniforms for a kids' band. And even though the town's skeptical librarian/piano teacher, Marian (Bethany Rydzewski), finds proof that Hill's a phony, she soon falls under his spell herself.

On opening night, A2CT's production got off to a sluggish start with "Rock Island.'' Set on a train, the song features traveling salemen who discuss the way Hill is giving them a bad name; thus, the conversation should be impassioned and animated, but instead, the staging felt static, and lines went unheard.

If a "Music Man'' production were as strong as its Harold Hill, though, A2CT would be sitting pretty. Hilligoss nailed his vocals opening night, but more importantly, you couldn't take your eyes off him. Tall and lean, with a hilariously expressive face, Hilligoss charmed the crowd like they were so many River City residents.

Likewise, Rydzewski displayed impressive vocal power; only a nervous habit regarding hand placement (Waist? Down at her sides? Waist again?) was distracting. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Ian Wolfe, as Marian's lisping little brother Winthrop, wowed the crowd with his strong solos in "Wells Fargo Wagon'' and "Gary Indiana,'' and the orchestra, led by Brian E. Buckner, boasted some truly spectacular musicians.

With a cast of more than 60, director Wendy Sielaff provided herself with a daunting assignment. At times, the stage looked overstuffed (River City's library seems to be a bizarrely popular hangout); ensemble vocal entrances and dance steps were often tentative; and odd staging choices - like the residents sitting with their backs to the mayor at town meetings - drew more attention to themselves than they might otherwise.

But the under-polished production ultimately evokes the same reaction as do the untrained kids playing musical instruments at the show's end: It's endearing, despite the flaws.

"The Music Man'' continues at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, 911 N. University Ave. For tickets, call 971-2228, or visit www.a2ct.org.