"Will" adds full "Grace" to this Music Man production
Written: Jul 05 '01 (Updated Sep 09 '01)
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Pros: Eric McCormack RULES! Excellent vocals, ensemble tightly rehearsed, choreography outstanding
Cons: Theater was not only HOT but also ran out of bottled water that night!
The Bottom Line: Eric McCormack makes The Music Man hum and vibrate, with a wonderfully energetic and confident performance. Rebecca Luker as Marian has a beautiful soprano voice that gave me chills!
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| cyndialu's Full Review: The Music Man |
Before early 2000, I never watched Will and Grace so I never knew who Eric McCormack was. Then, once I became a fan of the show, I knew who Eric McCormack was but never thought him to be especially appropriate for a Broadway show. In fact, in one episode, when he is singing as "Will", it hardly made an impression, good or bad.
Fast forward to last weekend (end of June, 2001) when I had the pleasure of seeing him as Harold Hill in the Music Man on Broadway. Despite an increasing absence of fresh, cool air in the theater, Mr. McCormack kept the pace and enjoyment of this show very cool and yes, very fresh indeed.
Beginning even with the opening train scene where a hilarious "rap" session is going on between a group of competitive salesmen, Eric keeps his back to the audience the entire time and never says a word, nor does he betray himself as being the con man Harold Hill they are gossiping about...that is, not until the song comes to an end and he briskly exits stage right, knowing that "That was a close one!"
The Music Man takes me back many years to when I was not even ten years old, so I will admit to having some major nostalgia for it. When Rebecca Luker sings the first rendition of Goodnight, My Someone in the first act, I was already getting misty eyed. When Eric McCormack sings a brief reprise of it near the end, the connection is complete and I have gone back thirty years in time to when both my parents used to sing it to me as a bedtime lullabye. The songs are certainly dated but in that corny way that people my age and older can appreciate (let's just say I'm not quite 50 but I'm also not quite 40!). The choreography is absolutely eyepopping on tunes like Marian the Librarian and Shipoopi and, if you're a fan of barbershop quartet singing, you will certainly be wowed by how much of it is in this show. Excellent quartet who deserves an extra bow for sure.
The key scene that sealed my enchantment with this particular production was when Marian (played by Rebecca Luker) finally professes her love to Harold Hill who, up until this point, is continuing on with his "con" and is showing little remorse for how his actions might affect these townspeople. Once Marian starts singing Till There Was You, the profound change in character and depth of understanding becomes explicitly clear on Harold's face (fantastically played by McCormack). We had great seats, in the 10th row and on the same side of the stage where the scene takes place, so we had the advantage of being able to appreciate just how soft and vulnerable this fast talking con man suddenly becomes. The transformation is not only crucial to the story line but also quite authentic. I was thoroughly mesmerized but, more importantly, I truly believed that these two people loved one another.
Eric McCormack appears in the Music Man only through August 6th and is then being replaced by Robert Sean Leonard (who just won a Tony for Invention of Love). I cannot vouch for how Mr. Leonard will fare in this role, of course, but I can say that, in my own humble opinion, there will be some sparkle and shine missing from the performance when McCormack departs. He was not only a vibrant and energetic performer on stage, but also was gracious and patient enough to sign autographs outside the front stage door for us when other celebrities might just wait for annoying fans like us to leave. Thanks, Eric, and you are definitely leaving too soon.
Update on 9/9/01: Just read the latest review that gave a definite thumbs down to Robert Sean Leonard as Harold Hill. He took over the role when my personal favorite in the role, Eric McCormack, left in early August to resume his sitcom duties.
I have to admit I had a hard time imagining him in this role and have never heard of him being a singer as well as an actor, but, to his credit, he has been very strong in the roles I have seen him in (e.g., In The Gloaming, a wonderful HBO movie where he plays a young man dying of AIDS who has much estrangement with his father while being somewhat smothered by his mother. Definitely worth a look for those who want to see this guy in his best form).
Eric McCormack definitely had the right "fit" for this role in Music Man, both with his singing, choreography and stage presence. Music Man was his first ever experience on the New York stage, and it is my hope it's not the last time we see him on Broadway.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cyndialu
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Location: Connecticut
Reviews written: 42
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Former Boston pianist/singer for twenty years; now doing "real job" as hospice social worker.
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