Ready for some smooth talking, romantic singing, and a sweet love story set in a small town?
The Music Man is just the ticket.
“A fast talking con-man pretends to know something about music, poses as a band director and cons a small rural community out of their hard earned money for instruments and uniforms,” said the show’s music director, Derek Smith, who is also the BHS music teacher. “I love this play. Something about it speaks to me on a personal level.”
The musical is directed by Sarah Ripley. She chose a challenging place for her directorial debut.
“This is no easy play,” Smith added. “In my favorite line, Harold Hill says ‘Pile up enough tomorrows and you’ll find you’ve collected nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays.'”
The Music Man is the story of Harold Hill, portrayed by Jarod Lane, a traveling salesman and “band director” who convinces the citizens of River City, Iowa, that they need to start a band to keep their town youth out of the billiards hall. He will also conveniently sell them the instruments and uniforms.
Marian Paroo, the town librarian, is on to his scheme, but finds herself secretly falling for the professor. She is played by Brianne Marr.
The Music Man opens tonight at the Bayfield Performing Arts Center. Showtime is at 7 p.m. and also runs on Saturday, then next week on March 22 and 23. The book, music and lyrics are by Meredith Willson. The book, music and lyrics are by Meredith Willson, which are based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. “Seventy-six Trombones” is one of the show’s hummable tunes.
The show became a big hit on Broadway, premiering on Dec. 15, 1957, and running for 1,375 performances. It won multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a leading role. It was adapted for the screen in 1962, starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones.
Article from the Pine River Times by Melanie Brubaker Mazur
