There wasn't the spark (or sparkle) between Harold Hill & Marion that Robert Preston & Shirley Jones had in the 1962 version. I wasn't expecting Matthew Broderick to be Robert Preston - and he wasn't. Broderick IS adorable, and does have a pleasant singing voice but Harold Hill is NOT an adorable character. Kristen Chenowith has a lovely voice ... and knows it. She drowned out Broderick more than once, but that had to do with sound engineering as much as anything. I agree with the person who commented that her speaking voice was "grating." Maybe it was part of her characterization, I don't know. ...And the Cinderella/Prince Charming bit in the middle of "Marion, Madam Librarian" -what was THAT all about? Totally unnecessary! "Pick a little, Talk a little" did NOT need the additional verse in the soda shoppe. Puh-LEEZE! Molly Shannon & Victor Garber seemed miscast & therefore, weren't able to show off their particular talents. I could almost see Victor Garber more as Harold Hill. Marcellus was good, but as someone said, it would have been interesting to see Jason Alexander as Marcellus - or even as Mayor Shinn. The barbershop quartet sounded pleasant, but there was no strong bass singer - they were all tenors & baritones. Widow Paroo was terrific, so was Winthrop. The integrated cast would have had a lot more significance if people of color weren't virtually all confined to non-speaking, non-solo roles. The musical numbers that require rhythmic precision - the opening number with the salesmen, "Trouble," "Marion, Madam Librarian" either weren't synchronized correctly, or didn't have the percussiveness in the first place. I tried very hard to appreciate this production on its own merits, but still found the original movie far more satisfying.
Review of The Music Man
