St. Luke’s Summer Stock gears up for ‘The Music Man’

What do jazz hands, one-two counts, a humorRus sFULSW DnG FDWFKy sRnJs KDYH Ln FRPPRn? 7KHy KHOS PDNH uS WKH AnnuDO 6W. /uNH WKH (YDngelist Roman Catholic church’s Summer Stock production, of course.

7KLs yHDU WKH FKLOGUHn Ln fiUsW WKURuJK HLJKWK grade at St. Luke’s parish in Glenside are working hard to wow audiences with “The Music Man Junior,” a production that music coordinator and summer stock alumnae Anna Ryan describes as “an oldie, but a goodie.”

“I think this year’s show is going to be great,” Ryan said at a recent rehearsal. “This is a standard PusLFDO, ZKLFK ZH KDYHn’W GRnH Ln D ZKLOH. ,W’s great to introduce the kids to standard musicals HYHUyRnH Ls IDPLOLDU ZLWK.”

“7KH 0usLF 0Dn -unLRU” Ls D sKRUWHU YHUsLRn of the classic, “The Music Man,” by Meredith Wilson. The play is set in early 1900s in the prim 5LYHU CLWy, ,RZD, ZKHUH sFKHPLnJ HDUROG HLOO comes to the town posing as a band organizer and OHDGHU. HH sHOOs LnsWUuPHnWs DnG unLIRUPs WR nDLYH townsfolk, planning to skip town with the cash. HRZHYHU, ZKHn HLOO IDOOs Ln ORYH ZLWK 0DULDn Paroo, the town librarian and piano teacher, will he risk getting caught to win her?

6uPPHU sWRFN YHWHUDn .Hnny AGNLns, 13, Ls playing Hill, a role he says he is happy to take on.

“, UHDOOy OLNH KDYLnJ WKH UHsSRnsLELOLWy RI WKH show on my shoulders and knowing that I am carrying the show,” Adkins said. “It’s also great to be working with great supporting leads … I know SHRSOH DUH JRLnJ WR ORYH LW.”

Adkins said he is really looking forward to his solo performances, where he’ll be singing the FODssLFs “6HYHnWy-sL[ 7URPERnHs” DnG “YD GRW 7URuEOH.” AGNLns sDLG KH’s D OLWWOH nHUYRus DERuW performing by himself, but said he is going to focus on the words and acting the songs out.

As for the romantic scenes he has to do, Adkins had no comment.

HRZHYHU, 14-yHDU-ROG AELJDLO GDUG, ZKR Ls playing prude Marian Paroo, said she is excited about her role and all it entails.

“I like my role,” Gard said. “I get to play two difIHUHnW WKLnJs. AW fiUsW, , JHW EH sWuFN uS DnG FRnsHUYDWLYH DnG WKHn ORYHy-GRYHy DnG UHDOOy EHJLn WR RSHn uS. , UHDOOy OLNH WKDW , FDn FRnYHy GLIIHUHnW HPRWLRns DnG FRnYHy [WKH FKDUDFWHU@ WUDnsLWLRnLnJ LnWR D [nHZ SHUsRn@, ZKLFK Ls JUHDW. , WKLnN [AGNLns@ DnG , KDYH WR NLss. ,W’s GLIIHUHnW. , KDYHn’W SODyHG D FKDUDFWHU, ZKHUH , KDG WR EH Ln ORYH EHIRUH.”

Gard said that this will be her last performance in the summer stock program and she plans on sDYRULnJ HYHUy PRPHnW.

“Summer stock has been my life for the past eight summers,” she said. “On closing night I know I will EH sDG, PDyEH HYHn WHDUIuO. ,’P sR JODG , KDG WKH RSSRUWunLWy WR H[SHULHnFH WKLs … ,’YH KDG sR YHUy happy memories. [Missy Milewski, the director and founder of the summer stock] taught me so much. 6KH’s JUHDW. , ORYH KHU.”

Milewski, who started the program 18 years ago, said that each year of summer stock is great and each cast brings something new to the table.

“:KDW , WUy WR GR HYHUy yHDU Ls GR D FRnWHPSRrary piece and shoot back and do a classic piece, that way by the time the kids graduate they get a real mix of musical theatre,” she said.

“The Music Man Junior” will play at the KesZLFN 7KHDWUH Ln GOHnsLGH AuJ. 9 DnG 10. AGYDnFH WLFNHWs DUH $8 DnG WLFNHWs FDn DOsR EH SuUFKDsHG DW WKH GRRU IRU $10. 3ULRU WR WKH sKRZ WKHUH ZLOO be a 10-minute preshow preformed by St. Luke’s fiUsW-, sHFRnG- DnG WKLUG-JUDGHUs WLWOHG, “APHULFD.”

“The kids do all the work and put it all togethHU,” sDLG 5yDn. “:H MusW JLYH WKHP ZKDW WKH nHHG and they run with it.”

For more information about “The Music Man -unLRU” DnG WR RUGHU WLFNHWs, YLsLW

www.stlukerc.org.

Tabby Ford, center, playing Amaryllis, listens to the director who is blocking out a scene.