“The Music Man is treasured by audiences young and old,” said Alex Mustakas, artistic director of Drayton Entertainment.
“This Broadway blockbuster will cap the Drayton Festival Theatre’s 25th Anniversary Season in spectacular fashion.”
Professor Harold Hill, a charismatic con man turns a small town in Iowa upside down after his arrival. Hill tricks the residents of the town into investing their hard earned money into a venture and plans to skip town with the cash. That is until a romantic relationship changes his plans.
David Rogers, who played Hill has a remarkable voice displayed in both his singing and dialogue. Rogers plays a fast talking salesman who is able to turn every situation around to his advantage by changing the subject. His quick wit allows him to join members of the school board to work together. Throughout the play the audience enjoys Roger’s comical pursuit of the town’s librarian.
The prim librarian Marian Paroo, played by Jayme Armstrong, is a victim of Hill’s unscrupulous tactics along with her hilarious Irish mother and younger brother Winthrop who is changed in a positive way by Hill. Armstrong is a talented actress with a powerful voice that would be more suited to a opera stage than this play.
Drayton Entertainment favourite Keith Savage plays the role of the babbling Mayor Shinn, who really has a difficult time verbalizing what he wants to say. Shinn distrusts Hill and sets out to find proof to discredit Hill. His wife, Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, played by Karen K. Edissi, is the obedient wife who strays off from her husband’s wishes from time to time. Her body language, bulging eye balls and comical character disturbs the mayor, who has bigger issues to contend with.
Many performers who had previously been part of Drayton Entertainment’s lineup over the past 25 years returned to the stage including Wade Lynch as Hill’s best friend and former fellow conman. The Mantini Sisters (Barbara, Sandra and Ann), Dean Hollin and Anna Bartlam, some of Drayton Entertaiment’s fan favourites returned in other roles. In addition to the professional cast, 12 children from southwestern Ontario played roles in the production.
The show is directed and choreographed by Michael Lichtefeld, who has directed musicals around the globe and is known to Drayton Entertainment’s theatre goers for his work in numerous performances. Lichtefeld’s experience was evident in this musical as the stage on many occasions was filled with most of the cast creating what may be called organized chaos.
Lichtefeld’s choreographic skills were tested during most scenes, which he pulled off brilliantly. Each character, including the children, performed superb dance moves and their athletic abilities were evident. The show flowed smoothly from the beginning to the final curtain call.
Music director Steve Thomas and his live orchestra brought music to life in this production. Classic music of the era included, Seventy- Six Trombones, Ya Got Trouble and ‘Till There Was You. Each actor and actress was clearly carefully chosen for their singing abilities.
Upon entering the theatre, the audience is taken aback by the stately display of wooden store fronts and balconies that screamed small town. Set around the American fourth of July celebrations the stage is tastefully decorated with a display of American patriotism. The opening scene put the audience on a train with the actors through a clever use of bumps and rattles. Set designer Douglas Paraschuk, replicated small town America with period props including a camera that flashed fire and a Wells-Fargo delivery wagon.
Costume designer Rachel Berchtold, and her team created costumes true to the time period. Vivid pastels were used in ladies clothing and matching hats. Dark browns and greys of men’s suits and children’s clothing were representative of the types of materials used in the fashion industry of the time. Men wore bowler hats and lengthy sideburns, with some sporting short curly mustaches. Pocket watches, bloomers and britches made for finishing touches. During the final scene of the musical, the audience is overwhelmed by the full cast’s appearance on stage in costumes appropriate to the play’s setting.
The Music Man runs until Aug. 29 at Drayton Festival Theatre. Tickets are selling quickly and are available online at www.draytonfestivaltheatre.com in person at the box office or by calling 519-638-5555 or toll free 1-855-372-9866.
