The Music Man

CAT’s Music Man pulled out all the stops when it burst into Castle Cary! The production got of to a flying start with the angry travelling salesmen lamenting about the conman Harold Hill masquerading as a Professor of music and the carnage his exploits had caused to date! Unbeknown to them he is sat at the back of their railway carriage. Each of these men had their own individual characters and accents with excellent diction so every word could be heard, setting the bar for the rest of the company to follow. Playing Harold Hill was the perfect vehicle for multi talented Luke Whitchurch, he can sing, dance and act in equal measure and is the consummate showman! Equally matched with Sarah Linehan who has a natural warmth and ease in both her singing and acting playing the spinster librarian Marion Paroo, they are as different as ‘chalk and cheese’ but the chemistry between them was instant. Music Man is reliant on its singers! And it is essential to have men who can sing ‘Barbershop’ and this company did! Each brought his own character and tone to the beautiful melodies.

Playing Winthrop the little boy who doesn’t want to speak because of his speech impediment is not an easy thing to do! But Jacob Edward’s made his portrayal natural and believable and one of the highlights of the show had to be him singing ‘Gary, Indiana’ This production was blessed with a very talented cast and it was a pleasure to see how the new and more seasoned performers worked together. All musical numbers had attack and the dialogue was well delivered and had pace. Choreography was kept simple and well tailored to suit all abilities making good use of the limited space on stage. Musicality overall was strong. Clever use of set and costumes complemented production. Well done.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.