Audrey, Lovely Audrey - "Review" of The Music Man Broadway 6/29/22
It's difficult to attempt any kind of a review of The Music Man (2022) that is not deeply biased and influenced by emotion. These characters have been a literal part of me for over half of my life, I am strongly attached to the definitive portrayals in the 1962 movie and the fanon extensions of them in my own head. But thankfully, I don't have to try and be objective or professional here! I am writing and responding completely from my own kooky point of view with my bias flag flying high.
Also this is disorganized and I wrote a lot of this in my notes app in the hotel the next morning... I don't really care to organize it or make it into a real review :P
I saw the show on June 29th with the following understudies for principals:
Marian Paroo: Audrey Cardwell
Marcellus Washburn: Max Clayton
Charlie Cowell: Lance Roberts
Ewart Dunlop: Branch Woodman
Zaneeta Shinn: Maria Briggs
So I think I need to lead with the statement that I LOVED IT.
Is it my actual perfect definitive version of The Music Man on stage? No. There are choices I definitely would not have made. But it is still a GLORIOUS celebration of this story I love so well and I couldn't stop smiling under my mask the whole time.
If I sound overly critical it's only because I'm a nitpicker and this story runs through my very veins.
As I am writing this, I think Audrey Cardwell has only performed as Marian four times, all since June 26th. I saw the third. It's also her Broadway principal debut meaning that those four times were the first time she has ever played a principal role on a Broadway stage (The Music Man is her overall Broadway debut as well, to be clear). And, since Kathy Voytko will be taking the rest of the performances until Sutton comes back - I really hope that this is a planned thing and that Ms. Cardwell didn't get sick - it does feel like a very special, limited edition thing to have seen Audrey in the role. (I have gotten excellent at looking on the bright side of missing Sutton!)
Audrey's interpretation of Marian was definitely influenced by what I know of Sutton's, although I'm sure she gives it her own flair as well. This is a Marian who is more outward with her emotions rather than seething inward, and also you feel that part of the reason that she so easily became a pariah is that she's a bit socially awkward. It's a very unusual way to view the character and while it's not my preference I think it still adds a lot to consider. Instead of retreating into a smooth, armored shell, this Marian retreats into a prickly shell. She is more fire than ice. I do prefer a Marian who can be fire AND ice at turns but I do at least see some traces of the ice here.
The most essential, canonical aspects of Marian are, I think, that she is good, that she is honest, that she is witty and intelligent, that she is innocent, virginal, idealistic, stubborn, and lonely, with a warm heart that is well-guarded. I guess my choices could be considered arbitrary, but there is no reason one can't add a little awkward or a little blunt on top of that, even if it conflicts a bit with the usual image of Marian as perfectly proper and composed at all times.
Actually now that I think of it, it reminds me of the cute awkwardness with which Laura Benanti played Amalia Balash in She Loves Me... although I should point out that I've never seen any other version of that character and I suspect that Amalia is a sillier character to begin with, as written.
Also compared to Sutton who is quite tall, Audrey makes a small, adorable Marian who is more in line with my usual mental image of the character, not that that should matter, but it is appreciated by me! She is his dear little librarian, after all. Audrey is also an appropriate age for the character and I'm a stickler for that. Oh and she's beautiful! So all of that, plus her general adorableness and gorgeous voice, made me very grateful to get to see her.... as much as I'm still dying to see Sutton, which I am going to try and do!
Hugh Jackman is a perfect fit for Harold Hill, unsurprisingly. He's just so much fun to watch all the time, always with his sly little facial expressions visible even from the mezzanine. You get the impression that he absolutely loves every second he's up there. His dancing is so sharp and on point, and in 76 Trombones, the way that he slowly crafts the townspeople into a phantom band with individual sections, all "playing together" at the climax of the song, is mesmerizing and just thrilling to watch.
He's plotting, he's scheming, he has all this empty bravado, he gives us a very showy Sadder-But-Wiser Girl complete with a cane prop, but through his interactions with Winthrop and then with Marian we get to see his longing for real connection that's been missing from his life and how comfortably he fits into that more authentic role. Again, the text itself is unfortunately pretty limited in portraying Harold's transformation but I can feel Hugh doing his damnedest to show us how real it is.
I don't know if this is his personal choice or a matter of direction but I feel like he tries to deliver each line in each song as differently from Robert Preston as possible (while still maintaining an authentic feel of Harold Hill, of course) and sometimes it was frustrating, like he was "missing" the best line delivery. I can, of course, understand the need to avoid doing anything that feels like an impression. But I feel like Hugh sings Harold's lines in Trouble a bit more than he should.
One other thing about Hugh... there are times I felt he was maybe going too hard for a laugh as opposed to staying fully in character? Like there is this part on the rumor exchange scene where Marian pushes him and he sidles back up to her in a silly way, that was funny but didn't feel true to the mood of the scene. But also I think this is an overall more funny interpretation of Harold and Marian, so maybe that's part of it.
Again, I feel like as an author I can connect to this, because I do believe that post-canon and post-marriage, Harold and Marian love to laugh together a lot and seeing that start during canon works for me, especially when, again, we've got a Marian who is a bit more outwardly neurotic and awkward which lands them in some silly situations at times.
I'm not sure what sort of American accent he was doing but there was a clear choice there, when he said/sang certain words like "heard" I could hear a very specific accent but I honestly don't know what it's supposed to be.
My main disappointment with this production might be that there are some serious missed opportunities regarding building the sexual and romantic tension between Harold and Marian, purely owing to direction and blocking. The "in the moonlight" segment involves no almost-kiss or anything in that vein, and the rumor exchange scene doesn't involve enough smoldering tension for my liking. The kiss on the footbridge and the aftermath of it, however, are simply gorgeous and I'm glad they pulled out all the stops there, at least!
I wish Harold and Marian stole another kiss at the very end but I guess it makes sense why they wouldn't in the gymnasium full of people. Regardless, fanfic writers and readers all know that in any universe, they will kiss again in triumph and joy at the soonest possible opportunity :D
Oddly, Charlie Cowell doesn't get creepy enough toward Marian either (although his words alone are still creepy!). I honestly have no idea why they would change that. One change that I LOVED, which I will not spoil, is that there is a very clear logical reason for Marian planting the kiss on Cowell, and another logical reason why she fails to stop him despite that.
The overall direction of the book scenes feels "fast", perhaps because of the added dance segments adding to the show's runtime. Some lines are also cut for time (though not anything super pivotal or iconic, I think). Actually some of the songs feel fast, too. I don't think it would have killed them to slow it down a few BPM lol. Just for one example, I definitely think Harold and Marian should get to cling onto each other a bit longer before Harold is dragged away by the constable, because this shows just how resolute Harold is in never leaving her side.
I was confused by the staging of Iowa Stubborn at first, the way everyone just stands there... couldn't the choreographer have given them SOMETHING to do, I thought? Even just entering severally or something? How odd to see such a staging on Broadway! And then it hit me and I realized it was brilliant. This is our baseline, this motionless, staid and stodgy town, that will not take a step until Harold sets them to it. Much, much later, when Marian asks the townspeople to remember how River City used to be, THIS is what we should remember. (I don't know why they cut out the "Good morning Mayor Shinn" interlude though? I like that part)
The soaring descant over the end of Wells Fargo Wagon was beautiful and unexpected. That whole sequence is FANTASTIC with the way they bring in the wagon and how the excitement builds among the townspeople. Still not sure how they do the horse???
The changed lyrics in Shipoopi are extremely unnecessary because the original ones aren't remotely offensive and anyone who WOULD be offended by them would surely hate the show as a whole regardless. Still, the lyrics of Shipoopi are among the least important lyrics in the show, seeing as it's basically just a diegetic hoedown song with only faint, metaphorical connections that could be drawn to the main story, so I can't get too mad over it. It still ends with "you can win her yet" and isn't that what really matters?
Interesting directorial choice to give Marian the last line of Pick-a-Little Reprise, at first I didn't like it because I felt like they were trying to imply she'd become one of them, which, of course not. But I think it's more of a cheeky little attempt to fit in. And, again, adorable!
I wasn't expecting Sadder-But-Wiser Girl to have some ADDITIONAL verses. I assume these lyrics are Willson's from an earlier draft? I couldn't fully understand them all though. Unless we get a cast album I may never know what they were saying. There was one line that was like "the rainbow that's gone away will always come back another day" (honestly I have no idea what that would mean in this context, maybe I've gotten it wrong) and one about "the girl with a bitter past". That's all I got.
I came in knowing that My White Knight would be very different and because I'm not married to the original this was not a terrible act of sacrilege to me. These ARE all Willson's words and can be found in the novelization, so I pretty much knew what she was saying. There is also a recording somewhere with Barbara Cook singing this version. It's an interesting character moment with all these new word-heavy lines, and you get more insight into all the very many things Marian has encountered among Iowan men that she'd find utterly distasteful in a future husband (no interest in literature beyond limericks! chews snuff!) And then it ends with the stirring, plaintive, familiar melody. Of the three changed songs, this is the one where I feel that the new words really matter very much in characterizing Marian, so I'm glad that these lyrics are actually accessible to us.
Also Marian's Irish green dress in that scene is just *heart eyes*
Costumes are gorgeous (I do wonder if Audrey's costumes differed slightly from Sutton's?), and the only truly questionable choice is Harold in his apparent undershirt for the Shipoopi scene. I know there can be different interpretations I just... do not believe he would wear that outside the privacy of his own home. Santo Loquasto, please explain! It's also a little odd that we never get Marian in a blouse-and-skirt outfit but that's just me being a stickler again.
The staging is decidedly old-fashioned with backdrops and such but I adore it, it just suits the show so well. And of course there is a modern twist with the way that things such as Marian's library desk and house effortlessly glide into place when needed. The only real miss in the staging that I can remember is that the Goodnight My Someone/76 Trombones dual reprise is just Harold alone onstage in a spotlight, with Marian singing offstage, completely unseen. I know this is as written in the script, but with all of the amazing staging and sets used in this production, I feel like surely they could have done something to let us see Marian during this scene.
Jayne Houdyshell plays an amazing Eulalie who, as Meredith Willson instructs, takes herself completely seriously, is never mugging for laughs, and is still absolutely ridiculous. Just perfect. Also everyone cheered for her when she defied her domineering husband and stood up at the end!
Having Harold present during Gary, Indiana was an odd choice but strangely works just fine because he gets out of the way pretty naturally before the next scene begins. Still don't really get it, though. He's clearly leaving to clean up and get changed... but would he leave without talking to Marian at that point?
The quartet is gorgeous, I was near tears every time they sang, and even more impressive because one was an understudy! I'm sad they don't get to sing It's You but at least they did that one in promotional spots.
There is one fantastic unexpected little moment before the start of act II that I might mention here eventually but I really feel like I shouldn't spoil it yet.
The audience was wonderful but also..... slightly weird, like I feel like they were so in love with Hugh that they would just laugh at anything he said even when it was dead serious??? I heard laughter during the "can you lead a band? are you a dirty rotten crook?" scene and just WHY
Other than My White Knight, the whole "they took Marian's songs down in key" doesn't feel like THAT big of a deal. I'll be interested to hear it with Sutton (please God, please) but Audrey had this gorgeous soprano tone that came through clearly even in a lowered key. Her "how sweet that mem'ry" sent me to another dimension.
Max Clayton as Marcellus! All respect to Shuler Hensley who I'm sure does a fantastic job (despite the mutton chops, which I loathe) but this is one understudy I wouldn't even mind seeing again. I was actually excited to see his name in the "at this performance" list. I LOVED this guy and it was cool seeing the two Harolds work together :D He just has such a magnetic stage presence, I can't even explain it. I know that Max understudies Charlie too but I'm glad I got to see him sing, dance, and be silly as Marcellus.
I enjoyed how they emphasized the growing brotherly relationship between Harold and Winthrop, we see them fishing, we see Harold teaching him to dance, there may have been some sort of secret handshake situation if I recall correctly? We even see more of a cute sibling relationship between Winthrop and Marian because he plays a bit of matchmaker during Shipoopi and she playfully sticks her tongue out at him while she dances with Harold! Again, not something a typical Marian would do but for this characterization, it works and it's adorable.
Benjamin Pajak plays a little solo on the cornet before the finale begins in earnest and as far as I know this is 100% real. It was so adorable how everyone cheered for him!! The audience was just delirious with happiness by that point, too. Even at intermission I called it the happiest crowd I've ever been in.
The finale is so so so joyful and beautiful, I know that this could be interpreted any which way but just as in the movie I interpret it as a look into the future where Harold and Marian have a real, successful band and are probably married already. Which makes it even better! They are wearing matching uniforms and tap-dancing perfectly together, so united and in sync in every possible way, a true vision of happily-ever-after.
So just to conclude my ramblings for now, was this the absolutely ideal production of my dreams? No. But my quasi-religious devotion to the love story of Harold and Marian means that my standards, much like Marian's, are unfairly high!
Was it still one of the happiest, most purely joyful, most beautiful and delightful and heart-warming things I have ever seen in my life? Yes. And would I watch it again in a heartbeat? Yes.
As sad as it was not to see Sutton, I will be trying again in September, and I'm thrilled to be seeing the show again. And as much as I'd prefer not to "have to" make such a monumental trip and pay through the nose for tickets again... I don't regret seeing Audrey and I simply adored her as Marian. I hope she'll get to lead more Broadway shows in the future, and not only as an understudy!
P.S. Audrey liked my Instagram post this morning and I am SWOONING