Great performance, but opportunity missed
by crunchyjax on 3/25/14New Jersey Performing Arts Center - NewarkThis was a fantastic performance of The Music Man, the talent was impressive and the performers were able to convey the spirit of the material, even in this "concert" format. However, the show was billed as "inspired by historical accounts of communities established by former slaves across the U.S. in the Great Migration following the Civil War." I felt that simply having an African-American cast did not fully realize this vision. There did not appear to be much that conveyed anything about this history. In fact, even one character used an Irish accent, as if this was an all-White, traditional production of the show. We went hoping for something really innovative and imaginative in conveying a community of former slaves. Alas, this was really a traditional presentation of this play - an opportunity lost. However, due to the great performances and the wonderful material, it still deserves 4 stars.