The Music Man is a staple musical of the American stage, perhaps best known for the song "76 Trombones." Con-man Professor Harold Hill arrives in River City, Iowa and tries to convince them to make a boys band, buying musical instruments. Things get turned around when he falls in love with librarian Marian Perue. On Sounds Good, Tracy Ross speaks with Jill Herndon (who plays Eulalie MaCkechnie Shinn, the mayor's wife) and director Stephen Keene about the performance opening this week at Playhouse in the Park.
Jill Herndon says she's always wanted to do musical theatre but never had enough time to devote to a production. Now that her kids are older, she says, she decided to commit some time and says she's had a blast embracing her bold and crazy character.
Director Stephen Keene says The Music Man was one of his first experiences with musical theatre 20 years ago in Louisville. He fell in love with the play then and being able to tell the story from his perspective has been great. The cast has been fun to work with, he says, and is comprised of 53 actors - one of their largest shows ever produced at Playhouse in the Park. He found himself asking, "How are we going to get these 53 people all on stage at the right time and make it work?"
The Music Man opens Thursday, December 10 and runs through December 20.
