Gold Medal Class of Aught-Five (Redux)


From the Sacramento Bee: Runaway Stage Productions presents "The Music Man," featuring, from left, Buffee Ann Gillihan, Michael McElroy, Kyle Hadley, Karen Day and Christian Salmon. Continuing through July 24 at the 24th Street Theatre, 2791 24th St. (Runaway Stage Productions)

From the lack of response so far by the technical crew at Blogger.com, it seems hardly anyone there is particularly bothered by the abrupt disappearance of my original July 3rd "Music Man" post. It's not clear what happened:

1. Did I somehow delete the post accidentally (like Rose Mary Woods suggested she did with the 18 1/2 minute gap in the Watergate tapes?)
2. Did Independence Day at Blogger.com mean releasing blogposts from their pages, to wander cyberspace like lost comets?
3. Can some angry reader bend HTML to their will, like Uri Geller does with spoons?
4. Didn't I sacrifice the fatted calf correctly?

In any event, I'll post my thoughts again (backing up the post in the event Satan's minions return). The only trouble, of course, is that I don't quite remember what I wrote. But I'll try...

In the wee hours of Saturday morning (July 2nd) I walked my dog Sparky past the 24th Street Theater, three blocks from our house. I picked up a discarded pamphlet, which was a "Music Man" program. Aha - the show is finally open!

Reading the program in the uncertain half-light, I was impressed, not only by how many friends and acquaintances were in the show (Kyle Hadley, Karen Day, Camille Totah, Chloe Condon, Amanda Salmon, Hailee Ketchum-Wiggins), but also by how many had also been in DMTC's last staging of "The Music Man" in October, 2003 (Michael McElroy, Rick Price, Rick Wennstrom, and Lauren Miller). A lot of "Music Man" experience on the 24th Street stage!

Later that afternoon, I saw Ron Cisneros, and told him I was pleasantly surprised that he was choreographing the show. He said he had been asked to step in as choreographer after the original choreographer departed the show. But later, in Davis, I heard a rumor, third-hand, that the original choreographer had been Pam Kay Lourentzos (my ballet instructor). That seemed quite surprising, especially after she successfully choreographed Runaway Stage's last show, "Pirates of Penzance." So, was the rumor based on fact, or was it hearsay, or just simple misinformation? I had to find out, so off I went on Saturday evening to the 24th Street Theater.

Turned out, the rumor was just misinformation. Coincidentally, Pam Kay Lourentzos came to the Saturday night show, and was warmly greeted by everyone. In the Musical Theater world, rumor can be an important conduit of information, but just as in *Real Life*, rumor can be, simply, dead wrong.

The first musical number was "Rock Island", a patter kind of 19th-Century rap song that can be devilishly difficult at times, especially since it's the first number of the show. I remembered being among DMTC's fraternity of travelling salesmen in October 2003, and recalled how we finally had to settle on practicing the number EVERY night before curtain, without fail, to be assured of getting it right. RSP's "Rock Island" had a few minor problems, of the exact sort we had. The solution, of course, will be the same: practicing the number EVERY night before curtain, without fail! The second number, "Iowa Stubborn" looked a little uncomfortable: the first number with the entire cast crowded onto the small stage. Microphone problems clouded the first two numbers.

The show finally hit its stride with its third number, "Ya Got Trouble," which introduces River City, Iowa to the spellbinding trickery of Harold Hill. I've noticed how attentive Michael McElroy is, both onstage and off, to the intricacies and history of Musical Theater, and that attentiveness came shining through. Nothing could throw Michael off his rhythm in this difficult song.

I don't know Buffee Ann Gillihan, and so I was curious to see how she would do as Marion Paroo. She's great! Very nice voice and manner. Even better, both Michael and Buffee Ann work well as a leading couple - a tribute to Bob Baxter's excellent casting.

Ron Cisneros did a good job with Runaway Stage's excellent corps of dancers. I especially liked the circle of inwardly-facing men, carrying the outwardly-facing women on their interlocked arms. There's a lot of potential comedy in the Pickalittle Ladies' 'Grecian Urn,' mostly related to the dawn of Modern Dance, and Ron did a good job exploiting the possibilities there.

Chloe Condon really has perfected the Zaneeta Shinn squeak - she's great! She looked a little uncomfortable in the big dance numbers (e.g., Marion the Librarian), which will pass with time. Part of her challenge is that she is frequently downstage center in the dance numbers: the sweetest spot on stage, of course, but where no dance help can be had. Tristan Rumery played Tommy Djilas well.

Kyle Hadley was very funny as Marcellus Washburn, Harold Hill's sidekick, particularly during the energetic "Shipoopi" number. I didn't realize Karen Day does accents: she does a good Irish accent. And now, another member of the Salmon clan hits the stage: Christian!

Camille Totah played Amaryllis very well, but I was more impressed how she shone in the dance ensemble: no one did a better job of energetically 'selling' their performance than Camille did - the smile, the spark. I hope she keeps that up over the coming years!

The Quartet was really good. After the show, Rick Price described to me how the local barber-shop singing community works various stagings of "The Music Man" into their rehearsal and performance schedules. They greatly appreciate the exposure that these shows give to their talents.

It was great to see lots of friends and acquaintances at the show: Ray Fisher, Laurent Lazard (but not Amber or Juliette, for some reason), Tyler Daum, Amy Salmon, and Robin Weiner.

Go see it!