Barrett Foa as Harold Hill
@Gerry Goodstein

I have been in love with the music of Meredith Willson ever since I first heard the Beatles sing Till There Was You.  This just happens to be one of the signature songs from his most popular musical, The Music Man.  Imagine my delight when it was announced that Barrett Foa would play the colorful lead in this iconic production for the Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s 2013 summer series of plays.  I was excited to see Barrett recreate the role of Harold Hill, the hustling music ‘professor’ who rolls his way into River City, Iowa to con the town folks into buying band instruments and uniforms before skipping out of town with their cash.  The music alone is worth the price of admission but getting to see Barrett in his natural habitat and doing what he does best was a theatergoer’s delight.

Tony Award Winning Musical is a hit with people of all ages

The Music Man made its debut on Broadway in 1957 and was a singular success winning 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the very first Grammy for Best Original Cast Album.  There was a film and a television remake over the years but the best place to see this musical is on the stage.  The Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s production of The Music Man brings back all of the excitement of seeing live musical theater at its best. It’s also wonderful to see how well this play has held up over the years and continues to remain an audience favorite.

Barrett Foa brings a youthful vibrancy to the role of Harold Hill

The story begins in River City on the 4^th of July in 1912.  The animated first scene on the train sets the tone for this fast pace and lively musical.  Willson loved to play with words and many of his songs are a treat for the ear.   Barrett Foa was definitely up to the challenge and brought with him a youthful and charismatic edge to the character, singing, dancing and fast talking his way through many of the more energetic scenes in the play. After watching Foa play Eric Beale for the past four years on NCIS Los Angeles, I really got to see a different side to one of my favorite actors.  Barrett is a natural on stage and you can tell he is having the time of his life.  Some of the show stopping numbers like (Ya Got) Trouble and Seventy-Six Trombones helped highlight his wonderful stage performance.  I don’t know if Barrett was born to play the devious Harold Hill but he sure does bring a smile to your face as he commands the stage.  Would you expect anything less from the immensely talented actor?

Foa’s co-star, Courtney Balan plays the prim and proper Marian the Librarian. Ms. Balan has a beautiful voice and her scenes with Barrett were sweet and heartwarming as she declares her love for Hill when she sings the beautiful romantic ballad, Till there Was You.

Barrett Foa with Courtney Balan
@Gerry GoodsteinBalan

Balan has worked together with Foa before at the University of Michigan and he convinced her to join him on stage for this new production of The Music Man.  There previous collaborations have served them well.  They were very relaxed and complementary together on stage.

Some of the other highlighted performances were Lynn McNutt as the Isadora Duncan wannabe and the mayor’s wife; Richard Ruiz as Hill’s accomplice and we can’t leave out one of the youngest member of the cast Elijah Saddlemire as Winthrop.  His rendition of Gary Indiana was a joy to watch.   The rest of the cast was also extraordinary with the best collections of talented singers and dancers in regional theatre. I was impressed by their energy and how much fun they seems to be having on stage.  Their enthusiasm was really contagious and you couldn’t help but get swept away in their exuberance especially with the performances of the younger members.

The cast is made up of professional artists, faculty members from the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut, and the department’s most advanced student artists which make for a unique combination of performers which you don’t see too often together in this business. Connecticut Repertory Theatre is the professional arm of the Department of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut, Storrs.

Barrett Foa backstage after the performance with Diane Volpe

Backstage with Barrett Foa

I met with Barrett back stage after the show and we talked about this new production and taking on the lead role for the first time. I wanted to know what it was like this time around.  “Before I was in the chorus and you don’t get a chance to wrap your arms around these amazing words.  (This time) you get to explore the character in a way that you don’t really get to do in film.”

Although he is on hiatus from NCIS Los Angeles, he says he doesn’t mind working on his vacation.  “This is like heaven for me!  It’s such a fun role and so well written.  It’s so easy to get your mind and heart around it.”

Thanks go out to Barrett for inviting me back stage and taking the time to answer my questions after a long and grueling day.  He was as gracious and accommodating as always.  Also a big thank you to the artistic staff of the CT Repertory Theatre, including Vincent Cardinal and Frank Mack, who made the whole experience so memorable.

If you are in the Storr/Mansfield area….go see the Music Man!  It is the perfect musical diversion for a hot summer day! The play runs through July 23^rd.   Please call 860-486-2113 for tickets or for more information tickets are also available online at www.crt.uconn.edu.

0

0