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Gary Poholek of North Attleborough, as Professor Harold Hill and Jennifer Haugh as Marian Paroo.
The perfect con man
By John Andre
Wed Aug 15, 2007, 02:56 PM EDT
If there is one man that is capable of swindling an entire town, transforming it into a hilariously spirited corner of the universe before they realize they've been took, you don't need to look far to find him.
When the Star Players of Bristol County cast North Attleborough resident Gary Poholek as Professor Harold Hill in Joel Thayer's production of Meredith Wilson's The Music Man, they harnessed an enormous talent in Poholek, his limitations only in the fact that he is contained inside the cozy-quaint theater of Friedman Middle School in Taunton. His energy, powerful voice and magnetic presence had the wall-to-wall audience routing for him, short of reaching in their pockets for money, sold on Hill's mission: to assemble a boys' marching band in 1912 River City, Iowa.
The moment he steps off the train with his new con ready to implant in the minds of unsuspecting Iowans, he informs the good, presumably dull, folks of River City:
Ya got trouble,
Right here in River city!
Trouble with a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool!
And so he warns the citizens their children are headed for fire and brimstone when they begin frequenting the billiards hall now that it's advertising a brand new pool table.
What is seen transforming before our eyes is a dull citizenry burst into song; well-to-do prim and proper housewives abandoning their reserved manners and seduced into expressive dance; staunch businessmen become a barber shop quartet, and with the slightest suggestion fill the town with a four-part harmony second to none; a young spinster of a librarian and piano teacher finds love once she allows her guard down. Hill brings to River City what Fraulein Maria brought the Von Trapp household.
But the difference is the professor is doing it for cold, hard cash.
And no one knows that better than his sidekick Marcellus Washburn, performed by a high-energy Paul Hayden. The only surprise Marcellus faces is the music man has added uniforms to his bag of tricks for an added bonus to his coffers.
The sets are expertly constructed, enough to lure even the sternest skeptic back into a soulful time, from the open ride aboard the Rock Island Line where we learn from fellow salesman Charlie Cowell, played by John Costa, that Hill doesn't know one from another, to the library, where Marion the librarian, played by Jessica Haugh, is officially seduced by the music man, all in front of a youthful group of boys and girls hitting the books, but who soon find it's best to kick up their heels now and then.
Haugh’s vocal power and range are unforgettable. And the young Winthrop Paroo, played by Andrew Purdy, is memorable in his singing - with a lisp - of Gary, Indiana.
The costumes put the 1900s in superfluous motion before your very eyes, only because the wardrobe garments actually fit properly, an added pleasure usually seen only among more ‘professional’ theaters. No where is this more evident than when some of the youthful residents of the town take to the isles in a high-energy run.
If you've ever been to Trinity Rep in Providence, you know what I mean about the closeness of the audience to the actors and scenes.
Thayer and music director Charlene Lorion Dalrymple, choreographer Pam Shapiro, scenic designer Laura C. McPherson, lighting director Justin W. Freeman and costume designer Jonna Klaiber have put together a spectacular production that is not to be missed.
The Star Players of Bristol County have delivered a rock-solid interpretation of The Music Man. If you’ve been away from the theatre, now is the perfect time to get back to it.
Go to starplayersbc.com or call 508-821-2524 to get your tickets now.
Shows continue Aug. 16, 17 and 18 at 7:30 and a 2 p.m. show Sunday, Aug. 19.
