Only at Western

The Western Wyoming Community College Theatre and Dance Department will perform The Music Man on April 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and May 1, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and free for WWCC students who present student ID cards. Performances will take place in the WWCC Theatre.

            The Music Man is a classic musical that tells the story of a con man named Professor Harold Hill. Professor Hill comes to the town of River City, Iowa and plans on cheating the community with his usual scam of offering to train a boy’s marching band. Then he plans to skip town with the money, having never even provided the instruments or training. Things go wrong when he falls in love with the librarian, who has been trying to expose him, and inadvertently unites the town with a love of music. This timeless Broadway classic was written by Meredith Wilson and is directed by Instructor Chris Will.

            This particular production of The Music Man emphasizes the importance of unity within a town and within the family. The theme of coming together after being broken is prominent and important with this show.
When asked what the challenge of putting on one of the most popular musicals of all time was, Director and Instructor Chris Will replied “It’s always a challenge to direct a show that is well known and popular like The Music Man. It seems that everyone knows the story of Harold Hill - they’ve seen the movie, seen it on Broadway, or have seen it in the community. The biggest challenge I’ve found was keeping true to the story and yet finding a new way to tell it.” Will continues, “The message of the show is near and dear to my heart, the story of The Music Man is timeless. The message of The Music Man to me is hope, hope for a better tomorrow. It is taking the courage to look inside ourselves and ask what is important in life. Is it having the fancy car, the big house, the flat screen TV, or is it family, love, and charity? I’ve always wanted to direct The Music Man, it’s a wonderful show for all ages and there is something for everyone.”

 Sarah Howard of Boise, ID, plays the part of Marian Paroo in the show. When asked what she liked about putting on one of the classic Broadway musicals and how it is different, she answered “The Music Man is one of those beautiful old shows. It’s a musical I’ve been in before and still love doing the second time. It’s so different from some of the other shows I’ve done, such as Footloose, in that it has that classic aura about it. It is about as classic a musical as you can get without actually being in Oklahoma, and that’s one of the things I enjoy so much about it. It’s clean and fun and has beautiful music!”

            Appropriate for ages 5 and up but because the plot is a little deep for the youngest audience member, it would be best appreciated by children ages 8 and up.   For questions and tickets please visit http://www.wwcc.wy.edu/academics/theatre/tickets.htm.