The Music Man – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Watching Fraser Grant’s punchy Edinburgh revival of this lesser known gem one can begin to see why Meredith Willson’s musical easily won out over West Side Story at Broadway’s Tony awards in 1958. Underneath it’s folksy exterior this entertaining and inventive show with its lively toe-tapping score provides plenty of opportunities for the large cast of SLO to shine.
The story is set in 1914 in the sleepy Iowa town of River City. Con man Harold Hill sets his sights on persuading the locals to set up a boys’ band, complete with expensive instruments and uniforms, pocket the money, then skip town before his tone-deaf ignorance is revealed. What the fast-talking spellbinder forgets to factor in is getting his foot stuck on haughty local librarian, Marian Paroo.
The book, music and lyrics...