Sunday, August 14, 2016

The Music Man at Sundance

One of my favorite summer traditions is to watch a performance by the UVU Theatre Department at the Sundance Mountain Resort.  It is so great to be up in the mountains where it is a little bit cooler than down in the valley (although last night was really cold) and smell the scent of pine trees while watching a classic musical.  This year they performed The Music Man and I thoroughly enjoyed it (except for the fact that I was so cold).  I love all of the old classic musicals because I remember watching them at my Grandma's house and watching The Music Man definitely brought back some great memories.  The story of a traveling salesman who comes to swindle the residents of River City but discovers love instead is so sweet and this production was fabulous!  I really loved the scenic design.  All of the set pieces were made of wood with a whitewash finish and they made all of the colorful costumes really pop against them.  It was a great effect.  The choreography was stunning and I especially loved the innovative staging of "Rock Island" and both "Marian the Librarian"  and "Seventy-Six Trombones" were show-stoppers!  I also really liked all of the choreography during the scene changes.  My favorite character in this show is always Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn and Elizabeth Hansen was an absolute hoot!  I couldn't stop laughing during her Grecian Urn performance.  Scott MacDonald was just as funny as the befuddled Mayor Shinn ("Not one poop out of you, Madame.") and I also loved Laurie Harrop-Purser as Mrs. Paroo, especially when she was eavesdropping on Marian and Harold through the window!  Greg Hansen was incredibly charismatic as Harold Hill and I loved his rousing renditions of "Ya Got Trouble" and "Seventy-Six Trombones."  Rachel Woodward Hansen played Marian with a sweet mixture of toughness and vulnerability and her voice was beautiful in the songs  "Goodnight My Someone," "My White Knight," and "Till There Was You."  The two of them had great chemistry, especially in "Marian the Librarian," and then I discovered that they are a real life couple!  Other than the fact that I was so cold, it was a lot of fun to see this show.  Unfortunately, last night was closing night but I heard a rumor that they will be performing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat next summer!

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