Arts & Entertainment
Heralding Harold
Arena succeeds in winning ‘Music Man’ production
‘The Music Man’
By Meredith Willson
Runs through July 22
Arena Stage
1101 Sixth Street, SW
Washington
Ticket prices vary
The cast of ‘The Music Man’ at Arena Stage. It runs through July 22. (Photo by Joan Marcus; courtesy Arena Stage)
The wonderful thing about a classic is that when you scrape away the sugary coating of memory and the dust of benign neglect, you can find a work of great emotional depth and artistic vigor. That’s certainly the case with the delightful production of the classic musical “The Music Man” now on stage at Arena Stage under the visionary direction of Artistic Director Molly Smith.
Everyone thinks they know “The Music Man,” the quirky musical by Meredith Willson, with favorite songs like “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “Till There Was You” and standard characters like the smooth-talking con-man, the prim librarian and eccentric townspeople. But Willson weaves a much richer tale than we remember.
First, there’s the remarkable score. Songs rise naturally not just out of everyday speech, but out of everyday sounds like the clanking of a train, a piano lesson, the shelving of library books, the clucking of small-minded matrons and the unexpected harmonies of the quarreling school board. The lyrics are delightful, yet also rise naturally out of the situation and the character. With new orchestrations by Musical Director Lawrence Goldberg, the score sounds better than ever. He’s subtly rounded out the original sounds with broader echoes of the American musical tapestry to great effect
Second, there’s the story itself. The characters and plot are more well-rounded than we remember. The musically untrained Harold Hill (Burke Moses) sells a boys’ band (complete with instruments, uniforms and music lessons) to the unsuspecting citizens of River City, Iowa. His main obstacle is Marion Paroo (Kate Baldwin), the unmarried town librarian and music teacher. The townspeople quickly fall under Hill’s spell, but the surprisingly worldly Marion stays aloof. When she does finally fall for Hill, she knows full well that he’s a snake oil salesman, but she’s grateful for the transformation he has wrought in the town and in her.
Then there’s this remarkable production. While Willson is a patriotic American and proud optimist, he is not naïve about the dark side of the American character. The citizens are easily gulled by Hill, yet just as easily turned into a mob against him. They are also casually racist and sexist, and very stubborn and narrow-minded. Yet, through the potent combination of love and art, Harold and Marian change the town into its better self. Smith depicts this transformation with incredible finesse. The stage is always a lively-yet-focused swirl of movement and Smith creates clear character arcs for the entire company.
Burke Moses is captivating as the con man who finally gets caught in his own trap. He is fleet-footed, silver-tongued and golden-voiced. He is well matched by Kate Baldwin as Marion. She has a shimmering voice with a thrilling lower register and silvery high notes, moves with incredible grace and doesn’t file away the character’s rough edges. It’s easy to see this con man and this librarian settling down for a long, interesting life together (maybe even a career in politics).
They are given able support by a strong ensemble, all of whom create rich and detailed characters that leap into comic life yet never sink into caricature. They also sail through the soaring choreography by Parker Esse with ease, confidence and style.
Finally, Molly Smith’s color-blind casting broadens the impact of the story. Her choices are not quite as bold as in her groundbreaking “Oklahoma” (the more realistic “Music Man” may have less room for such play), but the production still holds up a mirror to a diverse country that can still be transformed by believing in its dreams.
Theater
Out dancer on Alvin Ailey’s stint at Warner Theatre
10-day production marks kickoff of national tour
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Through Feb. 8
Warner Theatre
513 12th St., N.W.
Tickets start at $75
ailey.org
The legendary Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is coming to Washington’s Warner Theatre, and one of its principal veterans couldn’t be more pleased. Out dancer Renaldo Maurice is eager to be a part of the company’s 10-day stint, the kickoff of a national tour that extends through early May.
“I love the respectful D.C. crowd and they love us,” says Maurice, a member of esteemed modern dance company for 15 years. The traveling tour is made of two programs and different casting with Ailey’s masterwork “Revelations” in both programs.
Recently, we caught up with Maurice via phone. He called from one of the quiet rooms in his New York City gym where he’s getting his body ready for the long Ailey tour.
Based in North Newark, N.J., where he recently bought a house, Maurice looks forward to being on the road: “I enjoy the rigorous performance schedule, classes, shows, gym, and travel. It’s all part of carving out a lane for myself and my future and what that looks like.”
Raised by a single mother of three in Gary, Ind., Maurice, 33, first saw Alvin Ailey as a young kid in the Auditorium Theatre in downtown Chicago, the same venue where he’s performed with the company as a professional dancer.
He credits his mother with his success: “She’s a real dance mom. I would not be the man or artist I am today if it weren’t for the grooming and discipline of my mom. Support and encouragement. It’s impacted my artistry and my adulthood.”
Maurice is also part of the New York Ballroom scene, an African-American and Latin underground LGBTQ+ subculture where ball attendees “walk” in a variety of categories (like “realness,” “fashion,” and “sex siren”) for big prizes. He’s known as the Legendary Overall Father of the Haus of Alpha Omega.
WASHINGTON BLADE: Like many gay men of his era, Ailey lived a largely closeted public life before his death from AIDS-related complications in 1989.
RENALDO MAURICE Not unusual for a Black gay man born during the Depression in Rogers, Texas, who’s striving to break out in the industry to be a creative. You want to be respected and heard. Black man, and Black man who dances, and you may be same-sex gender loving too. It was a lot, especially at that time.
BLADE: Ailey has been described as intellectual, humble, and graceful. He possessed strength. He knew who he was and what stories he wanted to tell.
MAURICE: Definitely, he wanted to concentrate on sharing and telling stories. What kept him going was his art. Ailey wanted dancers to live their lives and express that experience on stage. That way people in the audience could connect with them. It’s incredibly powerful that you can touch people by moving your body.
That’s partly what’s so special about “Revelations,” his longest running ballet and a fan favorite that’s part of the upcoming tour. Choreographed by Alvin Ailey in 1960, it’s a modern dance work that honors African-American cultural heritage through themes of grief, joy, and faith.
BLADE: Is “Revelation” a meaningful piece for you?
MAURICE: It’s my favorite piece. I saw it as a kid and now perform it as a professional dance artist. I’ve grown into the role since I was 20 years old.
BLADE: How can a dancer in a prestigious company also be a ballroom house father?
MAURICE: I’ve made it work. I learned how to navigate and separate. I’m a principal dancer with Ailey. And I take that seriously. But I’m also a house father and I take that seriously as well.
I’m about positivity, unity, and hard work. In ballroom you compete and if you’re not good, you can get chopped. You got to work on your craft and come back harder. It’s the same with dance.
BLADE: Any message for queer audiences?
MAURICE: I know my queer brothers and sisters love to leave with something good. If you come to any Ailey performance you’ll be touched, your spirit will be uplifted. There’s laughter, thoughtful and tender moments. And it’s all delivered by artists who are passionate about what they do.
BLADE: Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of your life. Thoughts on that?
MAURICE: I’m a believer in it takes a village. Hard work and discipline. I take it seriously and I love what I do. Ailey has provided me with a lot: world travel, a livelihood, and working with talented people here and internationally. Alvin Ailey has been a huge part of my life from boyhood to now. It’s been great.
Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.
Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Arts & Entertainment
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’
Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.
O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.
In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”
Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.
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