The Music Man Performed by Local Community Theater
The Mineral Area Fine Arts Academy (MAFAA) presents Meredith Willson’s The Music Man November 11 – 13 at 7:00 p.m. nightly in the Mineral Area College Fine Arts Theater. The Music Man has a long history as a music theater fan favorite. It was last performed by the Mineral Area College Little Theater Guild in 2002.
The Music Man has it all!…children with doting parents, small town crisis, a “hero”, and romance. Harold Hill, the consummate con-man currently fleecing innocents as a traveling salesman is blindsided by romance when he falls for the town librarian, Marian Paroo. The audience will recognize many of the tunes such as the ever popular “Seventy-Six Trombones”, “Trouble”, and “Till There Was You”.
There is nothing more disarming than the gentle form of flattery that suggests our children have some unsuspected artistic talent. It is this flattery which Harold Hill (a virile baritone) employs; so cleverly that his confidence trick of posing as a Professor of Music claiming to teach boys how to play military band instruments over-night, succeeds in town after town to which he plays ” flying visits “-until he tries it in River City, Iowa. There, after initially impressing upon all but a few die-hards, the need to give young people the sort of interests-like forming a Town Band, for instance!-that will keep them ” off the streets his all too expedient theories begin to be suspect, especially by Marian Paroo (soprano), the local librarian and music teacher. Because Harold falls in love with her he fails to make his usual escape by train in time to avoid confrontation with the town officials who have been ” tipped off ” about him by a rival salesman. A demonstration is demanded of the efficacy of Harold Hill’s teaching methods from the Band he has formed, and although their rendering of Beethoven’s ” Minuet in G ” leaves much to be desired, the performance arouses such enthusiasm among the wishful thinking parents that he is completely exonerated. (The Guide to Music Theatre).
Willson’s musical was a hit on Broadway beginning in 1957. The theater production took five Tony Awards. In 1962, Warner Brothers produced the musical as a full feature film receiving multiple Grammy nominations. This beloved production of musical theater continues to be performed around the country in universities, high schools, and community theaters.
Jason Carr, the Theater Director of MAFAA shares, “I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am to be a part of this show. I performed in The Music Man as a student at MAC nineteen years ago, as a member of the barbershop quartet. This musical will always hold a special place in my heart, as I’m sure it does for so many others. The fact that this will be Mineral Area Fine Arts Academy’s first production just means the world to me.
I can’t say enough about the talent in this cast; some being seasoned veterans of the MAC stage, and some absolutely amazing newfound performers. That’s the beauty of a large cast, with such a broad range in ages. There will always be people who show up for auditions that blow you away, and they likely had no idea how good they really are. Having the opportunity to help cultivate and develop these talents is why I want to be a part of this. Changing and bettering lives through the arts is a reward like no other.
I’m so excited to show the audience what we have been working so hard for.
The Mineral Area cast of 50 have come together to rehearse since September to present three fabulous performances November 11 – 13th. The cast list of local talent includes…
Harold Hill- Michael Cantrell
Marcellus Washburn- Micah Mills
Mayor Shinn- Ian Miller
Winthrop Paroo- Sawyer Kay
Olin Britt- Kevin Willis
Oliver Hix- Brian Womble
Jacey Squires- Josh C. Politte
Ewart Dunlop- Jon Kekec
Charlie Cowell- Syr Charles Lyons
Tommy Djilas- Zabien Gusman
Constable Locke- Eli Hallock
Train Conductor- Zachary Dollar
Marian Paroo- Sondra Kekec
Mrs. Paroo- Jennifer Dreyer-Stokes
Eulalie Shinn- Regina Brown-Vaughn
Amaryllis Paroo- Viviani Welker
Zaneeta Shinn- Destiny Matysik
Gracie Shinn- Cadence Kekec
Ethel Toffelmier- Abbi Hallock
Alma Hix- Dawn Shaffmaster Fuemmeler
Maud Dunlop- Amy Turner-Welker
Mrs. Squires- Liz Konzelmann
Traveling Salesman: Syr Charles Lyons, Ashton Dane, Henry Konzelmann, Sam Konzelmann, Eli Hallock, Micah Mills
River City Boys: Ashton Dane, Zachary Dollar, Sam Konzelmann, Henry Konzelmann
River City Girls: Courtlyn Dane, Ellie Womble , Grace Gray, Cheyanne Boley, Tessa Mills, Joslyn Soltys
Kid’s Band: Taya Watts, Parker Kekec, Kama Wolk, Cadence Elders, Chloe Cook, Audrey Matthews, Kaylin Dollins, Reese Stokes, Trenton Kelley, Eloise Burd, Isiah Dement
Townspeople: Aliza Reid, Lauren Jackson, Hannah Matthews, Alexandria Eaton, Abigail Kahn. Sophie Haferkamp, Joslyn Soltys, Grace Gray, Tessa Mills, Cheyenne Boley, Ellie Womble, Henry Konzelmann, Sam Konzelmann, Courtlyn Dane, Reese Stokes, Kaylin Dollins, Audrey Matthews, Amanda Matthews, Chloe Cook, Cadence Elders, Kama Wock, Parker Kekec, Taya Watts, JoAnna Watts, Zachary Dollar, Ashton Dane, Chloe Cook, Eloise Burd, Trenton Kelley, Susan Dix, Isiah Dement, Anderson Burd
MAFAA thanks Mineral Area College and Mineral Area Council on the Arts for the support of continuing the arts locally and affordably.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and may be purchased online through Square at https://cutt.ly/sE0Bt9n. Contact Jason Carr at mineralareata@gmail.com or Scottye Adkins at sadkins@MineralArea.edu for further information. Facial coverings are required of attendees per Mineral Area College policy.