How amazing do you have to be to make Sutton Foster slip into the background? Just as good as Hugh Jackman. It's not a fair contest. Jackman is so magnetic that when he's onstage, you don't notice anyone else. And when he's not, you wish for him to come back. That smile alone is so totally irresistible. No wonder people are mesmerized by this Harold Hill.
This is a big, flashy Music Man, with scores of people onstage and scenery that changes flawlessly from the train that brings Hill to River City, to the little house where Marion lives, to the Village green, where Hill convinces the town people "Ya Got Trouble." Oh no, a pool hall in River City!
When we return to the little Paroo house, we find Marian, the Librarian, teaching piano lessons. She's scolded by her ma, Irish as Paddy's Pig, that she'd better find a man before her chance passes by. We get the distinct impression that any husband is better than no husband. (No doubt that this is a dated play.) When she's alone, Marian sings to her yearned for mate, "Goodnight, My Someone," revealing her romantic heart.
However, so many moments happen when we should be able to see some sparks, and they're all missing. Why not take advantage of the obvious? How often does Marian see a man who's so gorgeous here in small town Iowa? There is just no heat between this Marian and Hill.
It would be so much more interesting to have her really see him before she rejects him. After all, for any intelligent woman, this is a man who is clearly trouble. And why dress Foster, who is painfully thin, in one dowdy outfit after another? She's a very attractive woman. Is the message here that an intelligent woman can't also be physically appealing?
It's pretty obvious that I have a crush on Hugh Jackman. So does the whole audience. So should Marian Paroo.
