Review of The Music Man

I never met a musical I didn't like and this production of "The Music Man" is no exception. Nevertheless, I wonder why the producers bothered. Matthew Broderick is a first class Broadway song and dance man but he is no Robert Preston. Who is? Broderick's portrayal of the immortal Professor Harold Hill is adequate, in fact his singing and dancing are excellent. Unfortunately, though, one cannot help but be reminded of Robert Preston's 1,000 megawatt charisma in the 1962 original. To put it charitably, Broderick is somewhat lacking in the charisma department. Kristen Chenoweth is outstanding. She looks wonderful and sings like an angel. It was a shame, though, that Chenoweth had almost no chance to display her formidable comedy talents. She is a funny lady, but her character here, Marian Peru the Librarian, has little opportunity, alas, to be funny. Finally, I though that Victor Garber and Molly Shannon, as Mayor and Mrs. Shinn, were in far over their heads. Whenever Garber delivered one of the Mayors Malapropisms, I saw in my mind's eye the far funnier and more appealing Paul Ford from the 1962 movie. Similarly, Shannon could not make saying the word "Balzac" funny in the way Hermione Gingold did in the original. That said, the production numbers were excellent and the piece was consistently entertaining. Despite some weaknesses in comparison to the original, this version of "The Music Man" is a worthy effort. 7 out of 10.