‘The Music Man’ is coming to town
DARIEN — Get ready to play with the band because “The Music Man” is coming to town this weekend, thanks to the Musical Theater Workshop of the Darien Public Schools’ summer program.
“It’s been a great summer,” said Timothy Sorensen, longtime director of the summer plays and an English teacher at Middlesex Middle School. “The kids have done a really great job.”
About 45 middle school and high school students are performing in the show, he said, aided by about 10 crew members and staff.
“This program is really great because it gives the kids some extra experience,” said Sorensen, who has directed the summer play for about 14 years.
The Meredith Willson musical Broadway hit of 1957, which was later made more famous with the 1962 film featuring Robert Preston, includes the songs “Seventy-Six Trombones” and “’Til There Was You,” which The Beatles later covered.
Madelyn Aug, musical director and music teacher
at Hindley, Holmes and Royle Elementary Schools, said she was taken aback by how quickly and professionally the young actors learned their parts for the show.
“It’s actually amazing, because they only put this together with four weeks of rehearsal,” she said, noting it was traditional to have about three months to prepare for a musical. “It’s such a fast process.
“Everybody is so motivated here,” she said. “They’re just such fast learners.”
The musical tells the story of con man Harold Hill, who pretends to be a
band organizer and sells instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk. He plans to skip town with their money, but librarian and piano teacher Marian sees through him. But then Harold helps her younger brother overcome his shyness, and Marian begins to fall in love with him.
The show will be presented at Darien High School’s auditorium at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and again at 2 p.m. Saturday.
All tickets are general admission and can be purchased at the door. The cost is $10 for adults, and $5 for children and senior citizens.