The Music Man
June 14–23, 2013
Carpenter Performance Hall
Irving Arts Center
The all American musical comedy.
Performances were June 14,15, 20, 21 & 22 @ 8:00 pm and June 16 & 23 @ 2:30 pm.
An affectionate valentine to Smalltown, U.S.A. of a bygone era, Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he vows to organize — despite the fact he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen before the curtain falls. Meredith Willson’s hit-filled score includes “Seventy Six Trombones,” “My White Knight” and “Wells Fargo Wagon.”
Lyric Stage’s production of this American classic featured Ian Gleason and Dara Whitehead Allen as Harold Hill and Marian. The cast included Mike Gallagher as Mayor Shinn, Catherine Johnson as his wife Eulalie, Ben Phillips as Marcellus, Jenny Tucker as Mrs. Paroo, Quinlin Sandefer as Winthrop, Eden Grace Burns as Amarylis, Stephen Raikes as Tommy, Mallory Michaellann as Zaneeta, Rebeca Ankrom, Chelsea Coyne, Daron Cockerell, Delynda Johnson Moravec, Emily Ford, Jill Nicholas, Kate Rose, Kimberly Pine, Lucia Welch, Sarah Powell, Aaron Alarcon, Chris Jordan, Aaron White, Daniel Saroni, Hayden Clifton, Hunter Lewis, Jon Morehouse, Joseph Holt, Mark Oristano, Michael McNay, Scott Sutton, Stephen Bates, Tom DeWester, Tom Grugle, Zach Gamet.
The children’s ensemble included Brooke Lynne Verbois, Lily Monday, Camryn Wright, Luke Boyce, Chet Monday, Henry Cawood and Will Singleton.
THE MUSIC MAN was directed by Cheryl Denson and choreographed by Ann Nieman. Jay Dias was music director and conducted the Lyric Stage orchestra.
THE MUSIC MAN closed Lyric Stage’s twentieth anniversary season. All shows featured a full orchestra playing the original orchestrations.
The Music Man: Lindsey Wilson review
Lyric Stage Casts Peppy, Americana Spell With The Music Man Revival
When The Music Man’s Harold Hill steps off the train into River City, Iowa, he might as well be stepping into an alternate universe. From its sherbet-colored town square to the apple-cheeked children who scamper through clusters of chattering townsfolk, RiverCity is the idealized realization of quaint, nostalgic charm. Lyric Stage keeps the Americana spell going with a production that relies on unfussy performances, dynamite dancing, and, of course, the musical wizardry of conductor Jay Dias and his 36-piece orchestra. [ Remainder of review was on D Magazine’s FrontRow® site but has been removed. ]
The Music Man: Lawson Taitte review
Are there REALLY 76 trombones in the pit in Lyric Stage’s ‘The Music Man’?
There may not be 76 trombones playing in Lyric Stage’s The Music Man, but it’s a good bet you’ll never hear a bigger band in Meredith Willson’s classic musical. Musically and dramatically, it’s a fine experience all around. [ Remainder of review was on Dallas News site but has been removed. ]