Cue the trombones.
Fittingly, Summer Place Theatre wraps up its 50th anniversary season with “The Music Man” July 29 to Aug. 7 at the Naperville Central High School auditorium. This Meredith Willson classic was the first musical the fledgling theater company ever produced, back in the late 1960s.
“‘The Music Man’ is near and dear to my heart,” said director and choreographer Katelyn Stoss. “This timeless work is incredibly intriguing to me as a director. Our production of this classic show has a fresh new interpretation while maintaining a consistent respectful nod to the original art.”
Bursting with memorable songs and amusing characters, this tale about con man Professor Harold Hill starting a boys’ marching band in River City, Iowa, debuted on Broadway in 1957 and won five Tonys, including best musical.
“The tunes in ‘The Music Man’ are brilliantly catchy, and you’ll find yourself humming them for days,” Stoss said.
More than 50 community members are involved with this production, including 40 actors, ranging in age from 7 to 70.
“Meredith Willson wrote that ‘The Music Man’ was intended to be a valentine and not a caricature,” Stoss said. “As an artist, it is important to me to honor that request.”
Accordingly, the actors need to walk—or in this case, march—a fine line.
“Our cast has done a phenomenal job at staying true to Meredith Willson’s challenge to not make the characters into caricature, and that is a huge feat,” Stoss said. “The characters in this show are so incredibly funny, and it is pretty common that actors take that humor to an unrealistic level.”
While this iconic musical can be difficult to master, it serves as a great learning experience for budding actors.
“Willson presents a very unique educational opportunity,” Stoss said. “This is a very challenging task to ask of young actors who often break character to laugh at one’s performance.”
She explained that these characters must be presented with a sense of dignity and honesty.
“The humor is naturally and contagiously written throughout the show itself,” Stoss said. “This is a very important lesson for young actors to learn and work on.”
As a choreographer, Stoss said she was so inspired by the music that she couldn’t resist sprucing up some of her favorites with tap and rhythm elements.
“I was able to really bring out some of the accents that make the music so lovable,” Stoss said. “There is a ton of dancing, and our dancers have worked extremely hard on telling the story through their movement.”
For six performances—celebrating 50 years of community theater—Naperville will stand in for River City.
“This show is all about a town brought together by music,” Stoss said. “With so much bad in this world, this show is sure to give you a good laugh and a beautiful storyline to boot. Throughout the rehearsal process, the cast has truly unified, just as the citizens of River City, to recreate this timeless piece.”
“The Music Man” marches on to stage 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, July 29 to Aug. 7 at the Naperville Central High School Auditorium, 440 W. Aurora Ave. Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for students and seniors, and $10 for children ages 5 to 12.Group discounts are available.For more information or to order tickets, call 630-355-7969 or visit www.summerplacetheatre.org
Summer Place Theatre’s “The Music Man”
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays, July 29 to Aug. 7
Where: Naperville Central High School Auditorium, 440 W. Aurora Ave.
Tickets: $10-$18
Information: 630-355-7969 or www.summerplacetheatre.org
Jen Banowetz is a freelance writer.
