Song after song, my memories of watching the 1962 “The Music Man” film many years ago fluttered back, a telltale sign of an accurate rendition of an iconic plot. 

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres’ performance of “The Music Man,” was strong in every way, prompting that feeling of nostalgia within me. The storyline follows Harold Hill (Michael Gruber), a con artist who is pretending to be a music teacher in order to profit off of the hope of a small community in River City, Iowa. Ticket prices seemed a bit high for the musical but do vary and include dinner as well as a potentially unforgettable entertainment experience.

The acting and singing were flawless, a word I do not throw around often. Both elements were displayed in the song “Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little.” Gruber not only fooled the people of River City, but I also fell for some of Hill’s traps. Ann Michels was the perfect fit for character Marian Paroo, showing emotion through acting and hitting every note. The cast did a great job getting the crowd involved with the show, coming up into the seats multiple times throughout the performance. The plot was not hard to follow at all with a relatively simple storyline, that still had unpredictable turns.

The show had multiple laugh out loud moments, many of which coming from Mayor George Shinn (Keith Rice), who quickly became my favorite character. 

The set design of the musical was nothing extraordinary but complemented the show nonetheless through its ability to put into perspective the size of the town. There were multiple different buildings that all had similar designs, really making me feel like I was in River City.

Although the duration of “The Music Man” with an intermission was 2 hours and 30 minutes, I had no issues with the length of the musical, enjoying each moment. 

Every element of “The Music Man,” courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, was amazing. The show earned each of the five stars awarded.

COVID-19 has led to the suspension of the musical until April 12.

“The Music Man”: ★★★★★