Troy University's production of 'Music Man' impresses

Theatre and Dance takes audiences to River City, Iowa, in their outdoor performance

Contributed Photo

Karly Johnson plays Marian Paroo while Harold Hill is played by Reese Lemaster in Troy University's production of the 'The Music Man.'

When a fast talking and quick-witted salesman (more appropriately scammer) arrives in River City, Iowa, he plans to swindle its delightfully ignorant families until he gets his foot caught in the door.

That’s the general plot synopsis for the Golden Age classic “The Music Man,” and in all honesty, with a plot as simple and trope-ish on the surface, I didn’t expect much. That said, I believe it may have been the play’s inherent simplicity that made for such an incredible performance.

Harold Hill is the driving force of the play – a typical “I’ll get what I want and go,” no-good thieving liar in pursuit of getting his hands in every townsperson’s purse. He’s a man with a finger in more pies than he can count on both hands, most of which are in towns he can no longer return to without fear of being thrown behind bars.

His target this time around is River City, Iowa, and the identity he’ll masquerade as is the band director for a local kids’ band.

His known reputation, as well as the gullible River City residents’ reputation, is made clear very quickly in the first two scenes. On the train to River City, a conversation about the viability of credit shifts to Hill and sets him up as a bit of a mythical figure with a silver tongue.

Now setting foot in River City, we see Hill in action, selling the seeds of his plot to the citizens by convincing them that their pool tables would be their demise, allowing their children to get up to no good. To contrast, he sells them the idea of a kids’ band – a band that would secretly fill his pockets.

This scene both sets the tone for the story and sets the stage for the performance. I couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the hectic flurry of comically naïve townspeople while watching wide-eyed and impressed with how none of the actors ever so much brushed shoulders in their scrambling.

From that point on, the townspeople remained relentless in their humorous ignorance and each actor stayed absolutely on point in their choreography and delivery.

My personal favorite bit was the four men who served on the school board until Hill, with his wide smile and confidence, taught them to harmonize as a quartet. From that moment on, the four were inseparable and hilariously diverted by Hill in a fun little recurring joke. 

The four actors were equally as skilled as they were funny. Their ability to harmonize at seemingly any given moment was just as fun as their oblivious and easily side-tracked nature.

Finally, I’d be insane to not mention the symphony band that played behind the actors.

The band really wowed me with how seamlessly they blended with the performance, elevating it even further and making River City even livelier. They provided a backdrop arguably more perfect than the natural, open scenery of the Cultural Arts Park.

The Department of Theatre and Dance’s performance of “The Music Man” serves as a testament to both the beauty of theatre and the talent resident to Troy University. From the actors, to the band, to the blend of the two, the importance of the arts was made as evident as the brilliance of our university’s student performers and directing faculty.