Classically, con man Harold Hill talks his swindling ways into tough-to-outsiders River City, Iowa folks. Asolo Rep now has him tenderizing the population by tap dancing in and getting everyone to thus move musically as he moves in on his goal: cashing in on their costs for a boys’ band. Hill still gets stopped in his tracks—out of town—by falling in love with librarian Marion. But who wouldn’t with Britney Coleman, of gorgeous soprano voice, finally acting out what she’s only read about? Paul McGill’s choreography plays a starring role in this Music Man, starting from the railway coach where traveling salesmen discuss Hill as they move their seats in all directions and, with themselves, up and down to simulate the train’s action. Hill gets off to warn the townspeople of “Trouble” with a capital T that stands for his message’s tapped emphasis. Noah Racey’s Hill taps recounting of “76 Trombones” and telling his old-now-new side kick Marcellus (Danny Gardner) how “The Sadder but Wiser Girl” (not a virgin) is for him. It doesn’t convince Marcellus to change his mind about his Iowa sweetie. In fact, he is the great principle dancer at a principal number, “Shipoopi” in which the whole town participates. High praise too is earned by the young-in-love played by dance leader Raynor Rubel and cute Marie DiNorcia. Racey is super dancing yet he doesn’t possess the role of Hill. Racey lacks the voice and sweet talking charisma for which Meredith Willson wrote important lyrics. It seems to take Hill forever to respond to Coleman’s attractive Marion, really enchant Marion’s mother (nice Alison England), and even win over her lisping son Winthrop (Charlie Shoemaker, good actor-singer who has to satisfy the choreographer as well). Terrific resistance to Hill comes from the town’s Mayor Shinn (Lenny Wolpe, made for the part). He’s hard put to get help from his wife Eulalie in a hit drag performance by Matthew McGee, and the ladies she has in her Grecian dance group for which she actually wears a Grecian urn on her head. The strongest threat to Hill is salesman Charlie Cowell, well played in persistent villain mode by Lamar K. Cheston. A barber-shop quartet of town officials not only harmonizes well but helps Hill evade detection. Tobin Ost’s set combines a reflection of an Iowa town in 1912 (a realistic library main desk and a political meeting place) with a contemporary way of setting scenes with portions of props (e.g., iron rack of overhead luggage for train cabin and fronts of buildings) and some of Michael Gilliam’s good lighting downstage to illuminate outdoor or auditorium space. A basically blue atmosphere surrounds a beautiful creative footbridge. Director Jeff Calhoun keeps everyone and everything running like a well-oiled machine. He chose choreographer Paul McGill wisely, given the emphasis on dancing that Calhoun apparently wanted as he’s said he wanted Noah Racey. Calhoun and Racey have been a good team before at Asolo Rep. If in the future they choose a different role for the leading man and one that has relied on dancing—Where’s Charley? comes to mind—it should be a completely appropriate enterprise. At Asolo Rep, it would have the advantage of a number of FSU/Asolo Conservatory students to perform as the musical’s students.
