Renaissance Players strike up the band with The Music Man June 13-22

Release Date: 5/14/2008. Expired: 6/22/2008

A con man working his way across the country selling instruments and musical instruction runs into big trouble when he falls in love with the librarian in River City, Iowa, as the Renaissance Players present a community production of The Music Man at The Renaissance Center in Dickson June 13-22.

Performances of The Music Man will be 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays for the two weekends. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 55 and over and $7 for children under 13. A special lunch matinee will be at 12 p.m. Saturday, June 14. Tickets are $20 and include a lunch buffet and the performance.

The Music Man has become one of the most-produced musicals across the country since its Broadway debut in 1957. Meredith Willson’s play includes some of theatre’s most memorable songs, like Trouble, Goodnight, My Someone, Shipoopi, Til There Was You (which was recorded by The Beatles) and 76 Trombones.

It has been on Broadway three different times, getting 17 Tony Award nominations and winning six, including Best Musical. A 1962 movie earned six Oscar nominations (winning for Best Music) and six Golden Globe nominations (winning Best Musical). A 2003 made-for-television movie earned five Emmy nominations.

“The Music Man is an American theatre classic, set in the heartland and extolling the timeless story of how love conquers all,” said Amy Scott, assistant artistic director for The Renaissance Center. “It’s a fun, family show with memorable characters and music.”

The Renaissance Players production of The Music Man is being directed by Tracy Nichols of Ashland City, with musical direction by Nathan W. Brown and choreography by Bryan J. Wlas.

Legendary Broadway composer Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) urged Willson to put together a show after hearing his stories about growing up in rural Mason City, Iowa. Willson took eight years to write the show, producing 30 revisions and writing more than 40 new songs.

“Professor” Harold Hill, fleeing the wrath of legitimate traveling salesmen, hops off a train in River City, Iowa, in the early part of the 20th century and immediately starts running his scam of convincing the innocent townsfolk that the only way to keep their young men out of trouble is to get them involved in a marching band. And he’s just the man to sell them musical instruments and instruction through his own “think method.” In an attempt to bolster his claims, he woos librarian Marian Paroo, who also is the town’s piano teacher.

Fred Doty of Erin returns to The Renaissance Center to play Harold Hill. Doty last appeared with the Renaissance Players in a Jimmy Award-winning performance as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar in 2005.

Holland Taylor, a member of the center’s Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company, is playing librarian/music teacher Marian Paroo. The Arkansas native is appearing in her first Renaissance Players productions after roles in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre’s My Fair Lady and the Mind Enriching Theatre series productions of Alice in Wonderland and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also will be seen in upcoming productions of A Chorus Line and Disney’s High School Musical on Stage.

A cast of more than 55 members includes several long-time favorites as well as new faces to The Renaissance Center stage.

After making his Renaissance Players debut as Smee in last year’s Peter Pan, Dale McCoy of Nashville returns to play Marcellus Washburn, a former con man played in the popular movie by Buddy Hackett. Renaissance Players regular Carey Thompson of Dickson appears in his 19th production as Mayor Shinn, while Brown, Wlas, David Arnold of Franklin and Andy Pitts of Cumberland City play the bickering River City school board members who are brought together by Hill as a barbershop quartet.

Ty Bissell of Franklin leads the River City ladies auxiliary as Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn and is joined by Amanda Mollenhour, Phyllis Rice, Carole Ferrell, Barbie Pitts and Jean Gregory.

Mica Massie of Erin and Sarah LeJeune of Fairview play the Shinn daughters, Zaneeta and Gracie, respectively, and Alex Kopischke of Dickson is trouble-making teen Tommy Djilas, who is picked to lead the boys’ band.

Peter Taylor, Sharon Taylor and Claudia Bennett make their Renaissance Players debuts in the roles of Winthrop Paroo, Mrs. Paroo and Amaryllis, respectively.

Jon Kopischke of Dickson, Randy Sullivan of Dickson, Tom Whiting of Charlotte, Kyle Jones of Dickson, Jesse Davidson of Nashville, Zane Jordan of Charlotte and Daniel Pitts of Erin play traveling salesman while Chris Norman of Dickson is salesman Charlie Cowell, who makes it his mission to expose Hill as a fraud to the citizens of River City.

Robert Preston brought Hill to life on Broadway and in the 1962 movie, which featured Shirley Jones as Marian and a young Ron Howard as Winthrop. Warner Brothers pushed strongly for Frank Sinatra in the lead role for the film but Willson insisted on Preston or he would refuse to make the movie and the studio relented. Dick Van Dyke took over the baton in a 1980 revival that featured the Broadway debut of Christian Slater as Winthrop. The 2003 television movie starred Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth.

For more information on the Renaissance Players production of The Music Man, call (615) 740-5600 or visit www.rcenter.org. To purchase tickets for a performance, call (615) 740-5601.

The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

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