The Music Man

The Chichester Festival Theatre are mounting two musicals this year: "Funny Girl" in the Minerva and "Music Man" in the main theatre. I was eager to see the former and ambivalent about the latter. After last night's performance of "Music Man", I still prefer "Funny Girl" but was won over by the performances of Brian Conley and Scarlet Strallen in particular.
The Meredith Willson musical opened on Broadway in 1957 and followed in the same vein as "Oklahoma", "Carousel" and "Shenandoah" to capture the spirit of the early American heartland. Willson wrote about his home state of Iowa and created a classic Broadway musical, full of invention and traditional Broadway numbers. "Seventy Six Trombones" is a well known number as is the much covered "Till There Was You".
We find ourselves in River City, Iowa, in the company of self-styled Professor Harold Hill, who is renowned for selling band instruments and uniforms, promising to give lessons but cannot read a note of music and disappearing with the money. Brian Conley eases himself into the part and charms the audience as much as the good folk of River City. He lacks the sleazy aspect of the salesman but wins us over firmly onto his side by his smooth humour and brilliant smile. By the end, he made me care about his character and provoked a tear or two in the Best Beloved.
His co-star and the love interest of the piece is the stunning Scarlet Strallen. She plays Marion the librarian and is gorgeous. She is beautiful, slim with a wonderful behind and the movement of a dancer, which later in the show she proves herself to be. However it is when she sings that my heart fluttered helplessly against my rib cage. "Goodnight My Someone", "Will I Ever Tell you? and "Till There Was you" are delivered in a crystal clear voice, which effortlessly reaches into the higher notes and makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention.
The director, Rachel Kavanaugh, has done a fine job with a good looking show and some terrific moments. She is indebted to Robert Jones, the designer, Stephen Ridley, the musical director and Stephen Mear the choreographer (who was also responsible for "Funny Girl" this season). The set design succeeds in creating a train, River City, the gymnasium, the interior of the library, the Wells Fargo Wagon and the Footbridge. The Footbridge is a touch of real magic on the open thrust stage of Chichester aided superbly by the lighting design of Howard Harrison. For a while I was suspended in space by the beauty of the set and the movement and singing, especially of "Till There Was You". Stephen Mear's work in choreography raises the standards even higher with a particularly fine rendition of "Marion the Librarian" (rhyming her name with her occupation and at one point in the song with "carrion") in the library interior and the chicken dance in "Pick-a-little, Talk-a-little".
Stephen Ridley, the musical director, also plays his part in putting together a marvellous evening. The melody of "Seventy Six Trombones" with the tempo slowed down is used in "Goodnight, My Someone" to link the Professor and the librarian in romantic, operatic fashion. This was as written by Meredith Willson of course. "Till There Was You" i s the traditional Broadway ballad but beautifully delivered by Scarlet Strallen. It begins in tremulous fashion with two short, halting phrases of three notes each, then rushes more freely and blissfully onwards in an expansive style. I didn't want the song to finish.
The curtain call is pure razzamatazz and I heard a Chichester audience cheering and calling for more - a sound rarely heard there by me. I think Jonathan Church and Alan Finch might have come up with yet another outstanding season!
I love musicals! I know they appeal to the more sensitive or feminine side of my nature but I can play 'butch' as well, you know!