Big city dreams, small town fraud. Basically that is the idea of the “The Music Man.”
Professor Harold Hill, the title character, travels from town to town selling the idea of a boys band, and as soon as he collects the money, he conveniently disappears.
The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse brings the tale to life to present the musical as its third production of the 2006 season.
Tim Fox, director of marketing at the Merry-Go-Round, called the script “clever,” and is excited to see the finished product.
The story is funny, and ironic. Everything from teenage love to the town of River City, Iowa, being re-energized is woven around the con game, Fox said.
More than a dozen youth actors perform in the production.
“(The show) is really about them in some respect,” Fox said. “The kids are central in a way to the whole scene of the show.”
By the end of the show, Hill, who ends up falling in love, is caught, and his front is blown. But the children love him despite the fact that he conned them with the idea that hanging out in pool halls is immoral and promises to start a band as a way to keep them out of trouble. By the end of the show, without any real training, the children, using the professor's “think system” - if you think you can do something, you can do it - are suddenly able to sing.
All children cast in the show not only act and sing, but each also plays an instrument, which in turn makes the production much more lively, Fox said.
“It's ridiculously charming,” he said. “There are so many far-fetched things - that a whole town can get rallied around one thing. It's really an homage to small-town America.”
There is even a real barber shop quartet in the show, who play the school board that gets distracted by song each time they try to find the music man's credentials.
“The songs are all so good, and the show is just full of really fun gimmicks,” Fox said.
“The Music Man” is an all-around good time, he said. River City is introduced with the “Iowa Stubborn” song because the town is considered to be set in their ways. But as the music man works his fraud behind the town's back, it really begins to turn and the people begin to change for the better. So although it's a bad thing that the town is taken advantage of, the attitude change trumps the misfortune for the better.
“It's really hard to come out of this show feeling negative,” Fox said.
Staff writer Laura Boyce can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 236 or at laura.boyce@lee.net
The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse brings the tale to life to present the musical as its third production of the 2006 season.
Tim Fox, director of marketing at the Merry-Go-Round, called the script “clever,” and is excited to see the finished product.
The story is funny, and ironic. Everything from teenage love to the town of River City, Iowa, being re-energized is woven around the con game, Fox said.
More than a dozen youth actors perform in the production.
“(The show) is really about them in some respect,” Fox said. “The kids are central in a way to the whole scene of the show.”
By the end of the show, Hill, who ends up falling in love, is caught, and his front is blown. But the children love him despite the fact that he conned them with the idea that hanging out in pool halls is immoral and promises to start a band as a way to keep them out of trouble. By the end of the show, without any real training, the children, using the professor's “think system” - if you think you can do something, you can do it - are suddenly able to sing.
All children cast in the show not only act and sing, but each also plays an instrument, which in turn makes the production much more lively, Fox said.
“It's ridiculously charming,” he said. “There are so many far-fetched things - that a whole town can get rallied around one thing. It's really an homage to small-town America.”
There is even a real barber shop quartet in the show, who play the school board that gets distracted by song each time they try to find the music man's credentials.
“The songs are all so good, and the show is just full of really fun gimmicks,” Fox said.
“The Music Man” is an all-around good time, he said. River City is introduced with the “Iowa Stubborn” song because the town is considered to be set in their ways. But as the music man works his fraud behind the town's back, it really begins to turn and the people begin to change for the better. So although it's a bad thing that the town is taken advantage of, the attitude change trumps the misfortune for the better.
“It's really hard to come out of this show feeling negative,” Fox said.
Staff writer Laura Boyce can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 236 or at laura.boyce@lee.net
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