Saturday, April 08, 2006

Music Man Audition Results

It's been a while since the Music Man Auditions - nearly two and a half weeks ago. I was wondering why we haven't heard - in fact, Gale still hasn't heard yet. I got my call yesterday. I've been offered a role and very excited about it! The show is a classic and very family friendly. It's being presented by Rhinebeck Theater Society (I did Kiss me Kate with them a few years ago) Directed by Herman Sebek (Cats, Miss Saigon), assisted by New York City Ballet's Miriam Mahdaviani, and produced by David Forman.

Rehearsals start May 1st. Show will be running June 29 - July 16.

The_Music_Man is a musical written by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey. It opened on Broadway December 19th, 1957 at the Majestic Theater. It ran for 1,375 performances closing in April of 1961. It was the recipient of the 1958 Tony award for best musical. A number of cast and crew also won Tony awards for the show.

It had several revivals, a short run in June of 1980, and then the more recent revival at the Neil Simon Theatre opening in April of 2000 and running until December 2001. This revival won s 2000 Tony as well as a 200 Drama Desk award.

It was also made into a move in the 1960's.

The Plot:
'Professor' Harold Hill is a con man, claiming to be from Gary, Indiana, who sells musical instruments, pretending that he will teach youngsters to play them and form a town band. His plan to carry out the scam in River City, a small town in Iowa, is thwarted when he becomes attracted to Marian Paroo, the local librarian and piano teacher, who immediately recognizes him as the fraud he is.

When some of the town officials become suspicious of him, he forms them into a barbershop quartet. He gets around the ladies of the town by encouraging them to put on a concert and he wins Marian over by his kindness towards her younger brother, Winthrop, who was shy and withdrawn over the death of his father before Hill arrived. Although she recognizes his scheme, Marian falls in love with him and helps him to escape detection.

Hill is eventually found out, but decides to stay in town and face the music. Finally, the townspeople realize that even though he lied about the band he did so much for the town (including the city officials, the ladies of the town and Winthrop) that they forgive him.

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Community Theater in the Mid Hudson Valley of New York. Information on shows, auditions, and our general adventures onstage, backstage and in the audience.