Forget trombones, 76 cast members lead this parade!
This week, the Capital Festival Theatre plays host to Edinburgh’s longest running amateur musical theatre society: Southern Light Opera’s performance of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man.
Set in River City, Iowa travelling salesman (or rather, conman) Harold Hill (played by John Bruce) alights the train to bring this small community of “stubborn Iowans” his skills as a marching band leader, promising a renewed sense of pride and community through establishing a boys band, complete with brand new uniforms and instruments for all… As long as he gets his commission. Having no musical training, he hoodwinks and charms his way into the hearts and pockets of nearly the whole town, including the sweet and naive piano teacher and librarian, Marian Paroo (played by Rebekah Lansley).
For a musical originally premiered in 1957, Southern Light Opera have brought a modernity to The Music Man that for the most part refreshes what could be a clichéd tale of the new guy blowing through town and ensnaring the young ingenue. Opting for a projected back drop in lieu of any set was a bold choice from Director Fraser Grant, but was not always successful. The minimal modern aesthetic of the stage design clashes with the period costumes and more traditional style of choreography and cast placements. The lack of any static set means that viewers from the stalls are unable to really see much of what happens behind the first layer of cast and makes some scenes feel one dimensional and chaotic. With a cast of 75+ on stage, the troupe of featured dancers who are often front and centre take most, if not all of the attention.
But what a spectacle they are! This is a company with talent by the spade and the dancers deserve their spotlight as much as the leads. However, it seems a shame to miss out on all of the wonderful character moments that helps give substance to many of the supporting roles.
From the opening patter song Rock Island, I was delighted. Take beat poetry, set it to a rhythm of a train and split the words between seven performers and you have a feat of incredible concentration and poise- a true credit to the skills of Musical Director Maddy Baron, as well as the cast of travelling salesmen (Stephen Boyd, Scott Walker, Craig Watson, Edan Glennie, Matthew Knowles, Tudor Westwood and Eric Whitelaw). Another musical moment that deserves special mention is that of the barbershop quartet, thrown together by Harold Hill to stop the men’s squabbling. David Bartholomew, Callum Stott, Laurence Aitken and Gustav Selstams voices meld together beautifully as they wander through scenes in perfect harmony, often a capella as if lost in their own colourful reverie outside of whatever chaos has befallen the town. As a whole, this show is chock full of beautiful and infectiously joyful songs. Rebekah Lansley provides a beautifully refreshing take on the often oversung Ms Paroo with her silver toned voice and a soft edge of sass that will melt hearts.
Pacing wise, this show does suffer some peaks and troughs. There is overall enough comedy and excitement to keep the audience from drifting off but there are some moments that might drag on to lovers of more modern musicals. Luckily, Bruce pulls the show along by it’s braces with the absolute charm and aplomb of any charismatic conman, delivering pithy one liners and off the cuff quips that at time tip the audiences titters to all out guffaws.
Unfortunately, at the end of 2.5 hours, the show rather abruptly ends. I kept waiting for the cast to burst into one final number post bows, but no… It ends as it began with our leading man walking alone off the stage. While intended to be poignant, perhaps a few subtle edits in direction in the final scene might have helped to make this land a little easier. There were a few bemused faces as we left the auditorium, glancing back to make sure we hadn’t started to leave too early.
The Music Man runs until Saturday 25th May so do not miss out on the spectacular talents of some of Edinburgh’s finest!