Theater Evening

[drcpunk]

mneme / mnemex's uncle had a bit part in a production of The Music Man, so we went to see it tonight. It wasn't the movie, but it was very good. And, the Harold Hill was not and could not be Robert Preston -- but he was also very good. He had the energy, confidence, and charisma one has to have to play the role.

"Rock Island" was a little weak near the end, but otherwise impressive. It's different seeing it live, with no actual train, with the actors speaking and moving in rhythm of the imaginary train. The singing was all quite good, as was the dancing. The band's debut performance at the end was just wonderfully awful -- far worse than in the movie, far more believable. I think there was a bit too little dancing in the aisles after the warning that the aisles would be used. The kids were spot on. The costumes and sets were great.

And Josh's uncle was a wonderful farmer with a pitchfork for the split second American Gothic joke, and had a good line ("He's a kidnapper!").

The marching band was "a boys' marching band" originally, but was referred to throughout as "a kids' marching band". mnemex did a quick count and informed me that there were precisely 4 boys and a Whole Lot of girls. This also involved a minor line change near the end, where "Think, men, think!" became "Think!... Think!"

I think a mediocre performance of the show might be unbearable, as it's quite a long show and needs a high energy level. Fortunately, this was a very good performance.