The Music Man

Yesterday I saw the closing performance of the Stepping Stone Player’s The Music Man. Now, this show is so nostalgic for me since it was the first musical I watched that inspired me to audition for plays at my High School. Sadly, I was not cast until my junior year, but it did begin a 10 year love affair with all audio, be it sound reinforcement in live theater or dialog editing for television. Both of which I enjoyed for a time, but left behind to pursue a more traditional (as well as dependable) desk job.



This production of The Music Man started out a bit slow, but gained moment with each amazing song and dance number. The joy and vibrancy of the elementy school aged and high school aged performers were incredibley humbling to watch. Their execution of complicated dance moves and layered singing was a delight to watch. A friend of mine has been participating in community theater for 6 years and he was the reason that I attended the show that day. This friend, we’ll call him Blondie, because he is blonde, has been in productions ranging from joyously fun to monstrously unwatchable (sorry my friend). However, Blondie has always shined with his commitment to each roll he has been cast in.



Especially memorable to me during Sunday afternoon’s show was seeing Blondie go from being onstage as a concerned towns person in the song “Trouble” to being the Well’s Fargo Coachman complete with full length duster and burned down cigar, flipping his blond locks for the little girls to mimic. Also, his stint as a fez wearing Mason in a previous mucial (I think it was Bye, Bye Birdie) was hysterical. Blondie is a good looking, guy and here he was nerding it up as with a fez and thick glasses, very funny. I am simpley thankful that he continues performing so that all his friends can enjoy the many fantastic musicals out there.



In my distant past I worked for a professional musical theater company in the Bay Area. Musicals have always spoken to me in a way that I cannot define with mere words. The huge dance numbers amaze me and the singing is stupendous with songs that range from nonsense to broad comedy, to touching ballads. My parents spoiled me by taking me to musicals, concerts, and ballets from a young age (although they did wait until I was able to sit still and appreciate what I was seeing). Jedi also enjoys musicals and concerts, I’m not sure about ballet, but he seemed to enjoy Moving Out (that was my big gift last year from my best friend and it was AWESOME). I’m planning to try and get tickets to see City of Angels (I saw it years ago and remember the staging being extremely creative). When I took tap during the summer while in High School we danced to two songs from this show, they had witty lyrics.