The Department of Theatre and Media Arts at Brigham Young University will present one of the most well-known and beloved musicals ever written, "The Music Man," opening Wednesday, Jan. 19 and continuing through Saturday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the de Jong Concert Hall.
Directed by George Nelson, the show will run Tuesdays through Saturdays with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Jan. 29. Half-price previews for the show are Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 19-20. "Meet the company" night will be Jan. 20 and Jan. 27.
Tickets are $14 with $4 off with a BYU ID. For tickets, call the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 378-4322 or visit performances.byu.edu.
The heartwarming melodies "Goodnight My Someone," "'Til There Was You" and the rousing "76 Trombones" have made "The Music Man" one of the most popular musicals in American theatre.
The setting is River City, Iowa, where the newly arrived con artist "Professor" Harold Hill sells his bogus boys' band idea to the town. Oddly, his scheme brings excitement and support to the lonely, unsure town.
The townspeople with their down-home humor learn they can change with a little encouragement and love as "Professor" Hill turns from con artist to music man.
Meredith Willson, the mastermind behind "The Music Man," wrote the musical as a comedy about his Iowa boyhood. He said the musical was "an Iowan's attempt to pay tribute to his home state."
Said Nelson, "As we harmoniously blend all the elements -- script, character, technical, and audience -- we can magically travel to Meredith Willson's snapshot of Iowa in the early 1900s."
Members of the cast include John Preator as Harold Hill, Summer Wood as Marian Paroo, Oliver Gaag as Mayor Shinn, Ryan Simmons as Charlie Cowell, Jordan Allen as Winthrop Paroo, Antonio Jimenez as Marcellus Washburn, Megan Worthen as Mrs. Paroo, Kelli Gautreau as Zaneeta Shinn, Aubrey Snelson as Gracie Shinn and Mckenzie King as Amaryllis.
Members of the production staff include music director Gayle Lockwood, choreographer Lisa Stoddard, conductor Eric Hansen, dramaturg Shelley Graham, set and lighting designer Michael G. Handley, sound designer Benjamin Chapman and stage manager Samuel M. Anderson.
For more information contact George Nelson at (801) 422-4269.
Writer: Rebekah Hanson
