The Music Man is one of those musical theater productions that made a huge impression on me growing up in the 1960’s. Back then, the Mount Vernon Players put on the show and to this day, I know all (OK… most) of the lyrics to Pick a Little, The Wells Fargo Wagon, Gary, Indiana, and 76 Trombones. When you take your children and grandchildren to the 2013 production of The Music Man, no doubt, they will remember it for a lifetime. It’s a fun show with singing, dancing and a great message to be enjoyed by the whole family.
Tonight is opening night for the MTVarts production of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. We were invited to the final dress rehearsal at the Memorial Theater Friday night. The story is about a swindling salesman, Harold Hill, who descends on a small town, River City, Iowa to form a boys’ band and make a fortune doing it. He sets out to sell band instruments and uniforms to parents, supposedly, as a way to keep their kids out of trouble. While in town, he falls in love with Marian, the Librarian, and eventually, brings the town together.
The huge cast , 62 strong, is led by director Leah Andrews. Hill, played by Leah’s husband, Mike Andrews, is no stranger to MTVarts productions. He played in last summer’s production of Grease and previously appeared as the Tin man in The Wizard of Oz.
Hill’s love interest, Marian Paroo, is played by Elizabeth Barrett. Her rendition of My White Knight was beautiful. Her voice is one of the musical highlights of the production. Barrett is new to MTVarts and teaches music at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Otterbein University.
The children cast in this production are as cute as can be, especially Charlie Mayville who plays Winthrop Paroo. Winthrop has a lisp and is very shy, but with Hill’s promise that he can play the cornet, Winthrop’s attitude changes.
The performance of Pick a Little was superb. Kudos to the ladies who sang every word of the difficult song and made it look easy thanks to the leadership of music director Diane Dingler.
The production is set around 1912 and costume director Mary Ann Calhoun should be commended. The ladies had wonderful period dresses and fluffy hats, reminiscent of that period. The dancing in this production was choreographed by Katie Delozier. The pit orchestra is conducted by Dr. Dane Heuchemer from Kenyon College.
First-Knox National Bank brings Meredith Willson’s The Music Man to the Memorial Theater on July 6th, 11th, 12th and 13th at 7:30 PM and on July 7th and 14th at 2:00 PM. Ticket costs are $18.00 for main floor, $15.00 for lower balcony and $12.00 for upper balcony. Tickets can be purchased on-line at http://www.mtvarts.com or at First-Knox National Bank, One South Main Street and 810 Coshocton Avenue in Mount Vernon. For further information call 740-399-5116.
