Cast members include (left to right): John Fuhrmann (Marcellus), Dan Baker and Ray Hadden (school board Members), Donna Prinz and Shotzie Workman (Pick-A-Littles), Nancy Davis (Marian), Susie Moy (Winthrop), Chuck Kelly (anvil salesman), and Jack Coate (Professor Hill).
Carrie Mataraza
The audience-pleasing classic The Music Man comes to the Renaissance Theater on Nov. 18 through 23, and tickets go on sale on Oct. 19. Presented by the resident musical theater company, Showtime, the production features a family-friendly story, familiar tunes, toe-tapping dance numbers (with Dance Fusion at their finest!), and a cast of eccentric characters everyone will relate to, because they are not unlike your neighbors.
Set in 1912 Iowa, long before HOA communities were the norm, it was a time when the town mayor was a celebrity, and the school board reigned supreme. Townspeople met on the streets to exchange gossip in person (no text messages!), and news from the surrounding areas was brought in by traveling salesmen who traversed the nation by rail. Chain stores such as Woolworth and the A&P Grocery were just starting to emerge, along with the Model T automobile. Marching bands were prevalent at the time, with every town wanting one of their own. It was a simpler time, and that’s why, when Professor Hill arrives in River City, it’s a relatively easy sell to convince the stubborn townspeople to part with their money at the prospect of having their own “boy’s band.” Of course, the sell is helped by the arrival in town of a new pool table, the symbol of “Trouble with a capital T that rhymes with P that stands for Pool.”
The Showtime production features a cast comprised of Showtime favorites and new actors alike. Alumni members include Nancy Davis as the stuck-up Marian the librarian, Bette Fuhrmann as her doting Irish brogue mother, Mrs Paroo, and Bob Young and Judy Layne as Mayor Shinn and his wife, Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn. Among those new to the stage are Jack Coate, as the smooth-talking, seductive Harold Hill; Deb Stephan as Ethel Toffelmier the pianola girl; Chuck Kelly as Charlie, the anvil salesman; and Cliff Mercer and Dan Baker as members of the school board turned barbershop singers.
The Music Man is a production that you’ll want to see! It’s a story about transformation: Professor Hill arrives in town to seduce them into buying instruments for a band that he has no idea how to lead and ends up transforming the town into music-loving people, all the while being transformed himself by the town into a caring and compassionate member of the community.
Tickets are $16.50 and can easily be purchased at pebblecreekhoa.org. Click on “Things to Do,” and scroll down to “Ticket Sales.” About halfway down is a link to purchase tickets. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
Tickets will also be available in the theater lobby on Oct. 19, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., as well as the following Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon (checks or credit cards only).
Feel the excitement as the Wells Fargo wagon is on its way! Climb aboard!