Jeri Tidwell Photography
The classic Broadway musical The Music Man is fast approaching its 70th anniversary after its Broadway debut in 1957, winning the Best Musical Tony Award and running for 1,375 performances. The cast album also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. In 1962 the show was turned into a motion picture with Broadway star Robert Preston reprising his role as ‘Professor’ Harold Hill, and Shirley Jones replacing Barbara Cook in the role of librarian Marian Paroo. There was a Broadway revival in 2000, a TV movie adaptation in 2003, and a second Broadway revival in 2022 with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. It’s probably safe to say many people out there know the show mainly for its ubiquitous appearances as junior high/middle school, high school and college productions, as well as in numerous regional productions across the country (this author even appeared in a junior high production in 19- … something). It’s a musical as familiar as an old friend, and you probably know at least one of the show’s songs even if you don’t know what show it’s from (most likely ‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ or ‘Ya Got Trouble’). The show is currently taking the in-the-round stage at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Maryland and they are not trying to reinvent the wheel with this production. The Music Man is, as it should be, as familiar and comfortable as your favorite blanket.
If you are not familiar with The Music Man, the story takes place in 1912 and is set in the town of River City, Iowa after a prologue on a train which sets up the character of ‘Professor’ Harold Hill, a traveling salesman who all the other salesmen on the train learn about from Charlie Cowell (Anvil Salesman), who claims Hill is a phony, a fraud, a man who sells the people the towns he visits a bill of goods — in this case musical instruments for the kids with the promise of forming a marching band — but hightails it out of town before forming the band, leaving people swindled out of their money and the hearts of the local female music teachers broken. Cowell makes it his mission to expose Hill before he ruins the traveling salesman business for all of them. Cowell is unaware Hill is right there on the train and before it leaves the station in River City, he reveals himself, getting the upper hand on Cowell. Hill then runs into an old friend and former fellow con man Marcellus Washburn (who keeps calling Hill ‘Greg’) to get the lay of the land. Learning there’s a new pool table being installed in the Billiards Parlor, Hill seizes on this to warn the River Citians, as the mayor refers to them, that they’ve got trouble right there with that pool table that will lead the young folks of the down down a path of smoking and general bad behavior. His solution — give them musical instruments to play with. The townspeople are fully taken with Hill and start buying left and right, but Hill needs another mark and she comes in the form of librarian, and music teacher, Marian Paroo, who lives with her mother and ten-year-old brother Winthrop, who is quite shy and introverted because of his lisp. Marian isn’t the easy mark Hill thought she would be and he has to work his charm overtime to get her on his side, unaware that she’s already done some digging and knows he’s not on the up-and-up.
But Hill’s influence on the citizens of River City has been overwhelmingly positive, with the mayor’s wife encouraged to start a dance group for the ladies of town, turns the bickering school board members into a harmonious Barbershop Quartet, and brings Winthrop out of his shell. The mayor, however, is determined to get to the bottom of Hill’s scheme and Cowell finally makes it back to River City to help expose the con man. But has Hill actually made the people of River City better? Has the man who doesn’t know one note from the next actually been able to form a marching band? And has Marian fallen for him in spite of his past and very shady present? Or will the law finally catch up with him? Can anyone save the day?
Jeri Tidwell Photography
Toby’s Dinner Theatre’s production of The Music Man respects the classic musical, retaining all of the charm of Meredith Willson’s music and lyrics, as well as the story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. Under the guidance of director and choreographer Mark Minnick, the production and cast effortlessly transport audiences back to 1912, especially through Shane Lowry’s scenic design and props, the on-point costumes by Sarah King and Janine Sunday, and the period appropriate hair and wigs by Jayson Kueberth. Minnick also uses Lynn Joslin’s lighting design to guide the audience from scene to scene around the stage, showing the action in one place while setpieces and props are quickly set up on another part of the stage almost unnoticed. The show also has some very technical ‘musical’ numbers that actually have no music that Minnick and the cast have crafted to perfection. The opening number on the train with the Traveling Salesmen, ‘Rock Island’, is done completely without musical accompaniment, the cast keeping the rhythm and the beat of the words going like clockwork. One flubbed line and that whole train scene would jump the tracks but the men do an amazing job keeping everything in time. Also working without music, for the most part, are the School Board members who every time they try to corner Hill to get his credentials, he quickly distracts them with a note on his pitch pipe or a line of a song, making them begin to harmonize together every time. The four men performing as the Quartet make such beautiful music with their voices they don’t need the music. It’s simply wonderful.
Of course this is a musical and there is plenty of music with all of the old familiar songs, and the cast at Toby’s, as always, sings them beautifully. As Harold Hill, Toby’s regular Jeffrey Shankle perfectly embodies the con man, using his charm to lull the River Citians into submission as it were, eager to hand him their money with just the hint of a promise. But Shankle also gives Hill a conscience and a heart, and the more he gets to know the people of the town, the more he begins to like them. Of course, there are more than a few times when it seems like he will run off but the people, and the librarian, have actually done a number on him. Yes, Harold Hill is a scoundrel, but Shankle makes him a lovable cad, bringing great energy to the ‘Ya Got Trouble’ and ‘Seventy-Six Trombones’ numbers, some G-rated seduction to ‘Marian the Librarian’, and real heart in his duet with Marian to ‘Till There Was You’. Shankle is a reliable performer in any role, big or small, and he does not disappoint here.
Matching his performance is the fabulous Janine Sunday as Marian. Though set in 1912, this librarian is no shrinking violet. Sunday gives her strength and confidence, and she does not take guff from anyone, especially a shady traveling salesman who keeps following her around town. She wastes no time in digging up the dirt on Harold, but she also sees beyond his scheme, playing along with him, basically turning the tables and conning him because she could expose him at any minute but she sees the positive changes he’s made in town, however inadvertent they were. Sunday’s performance shows Marian as a wise woman, protective of her brother, of her town and of her heart. She doesn’t allow Hill to make her fall for him, she gives herself permission to do so even if he may disappear in the night. But her charms may be more powerful than his. Sunday also sings the heck out of her songs, totally heartfelt in ‘Goodnight, My Someone’, ‘My White Knight’, and the duet ‘Till There Was You’. Sunday has been outstanding in past roles, playing everything from Sandy Cheeks (the squirrel in The SpongeBob Musical) to the Lady of the Lake in Monty Python’s Spamalot. This performance is no exception. She is simply fantastic.
Jeri Tidwell Photography
Shankle and Sunday are surrounded by a hugely talented cast with David James getting to shine as Cowell on the train and later as he tries to expose Hill. Alan Hoffman is wonderful as the blustering Mayor Shinn, a man who loves an audience and attempts to recite the Gettysburg Address at any moment, always thwarted by some other bit of business (some might say the interruptions are on purpose), determined to catch Hill in the act of swindling everyone and keeping his daughter away from Tommy Djilas. Shawn Kettering takes on the role of Marcellus, out of the con game but willing to help his friend, and he also gets to lead the group in the show’s most infamous number, ‘Shipoopi’ (brilliantly referenced and parodied in the musical TV series Schmigadoon!), a nonsense song that does nothing to forward the plot but gives everyone a chance to dance dance dance. Lynn Sharp-Spears is a hoot as the mayor’s wife, Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, a woman of the era offended by some of the books Marian suggests she and the ladies read, particularly the author Balzac. Sharp-Spears milks the delivery of that name every time she gets to say it, and every time it’s funnier than the last. She and the other ladies also have a very difficult number (that is reprised a few times) that could be a real tongue-twister, ‘“Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little’, but they never miss a beat. Sharp-Spears is always wonderful on the Toby’s stage and this performance is a real treat. The children Amaryllis and Winthrop (yes, this show has some crazy character names) are played by multiple child actors, and on the night of our performance they were played by Julia Ballenger and Elijah Doxtater, respectively. Ballenger was so sweet when she basically told Marian she was in love with Winthrop and devastated when she hurt his feelings by laughing at his lisp, and she was wonderful in the duet with Sunday on ‘Goodnight, My Someone’. Doxtater was also adorable and has the tough job of having to maintain that lisp throughout the show, in dialogue and songs, especially in ‘The Wells Fargo Wagon’ and ‘Gary, Indiana’. Great job by both of them.
This show has a large cast so it’s hard to single out everyone, but the School Board Members — Carter Crosby, Vince Gover, Alec Brashear and David Bosley-Reynolds — are terrific. Dereck Atwater plays Tommy Djilas more as a misunderstood teen rather than the delinquent the mayor paints him to be, Jane C. Boyle is wonderful as Mrs. Paroo, both motherly and funny, and Julia Williams also gets some laughs as the mayor’s daughter Zaneeta Shinn with her expression ‘ye gods’. Kiana King, Valerie Adams Rigsbee, Heather Marie Beck, Amanda Kaplan Landstrom, Melynda Burdette and Benjamin Campion all perfectly embody their characters and give the main cast great support. There’s a reason The Music Man is a classic. It’s timeless with its setting — even if it is 1912, but none of us know what 1912 was really like, do we? — and its story, and almost all of the songs are so catchy that you can’t help but hum some of them on the way out of the theatre. Best of all, The Music Man is a show that the family can enjoy together, so if you want to expose your children to the performing arts, you can’t go wrong with The Music Man, especially this production at Toby’s Dinner Theatre.
Of course, it is a dinner theatre so you can’t forget the dinner (or brunch if you’re catching a matinee). Besides the salad bar, the dinner buffet includes the cleverly named food items Marian’s Ratatouille, Cowell’s Cauliflower, Goodnight Green Beans, Marcellus’ Mac and Cheese, Mrs. Paroo’s Potatoes, Mayor’s Meatballs, Pick-a-Little Ranch Chicken and Harold Hill’s Baked Tilapia. You cannot overlook the theatre’s signature side dish Spinach Phunque — trust us — and there is also a carving board with beef, ham and turkey. Dessert includes a choice of two cakes and an ice cream bar in the lobby!
As with every show, The Music Man comes with a specialty drink, The Shipoopi, which is a frozen lemonade with (or without) Jack Daniels and Triple Sec. You can’t beat the price of a ticket for a delicious meal and an outstanding musical production. This is a show that is not to be missed!
The Music Man runs about 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission. Note that fog, haze and strobe effects may be used in this production. Note that construction is underway on the new Toby’s facility so check the website for road closures and parking information.
The Music Man runs through May 18, 2025. Toby’s next production is the Disney musical Disney’s The Little Mermaid, May 23-August 17, 2025.
The Music Man – Toby’s Dinner Theatre of Columbia, Maryland
Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
