Casting: Major Roles

This is a show with parts for actors of all ages, as well as actors who would rather not sing and dance (or who would rather just singe and dance). A wide range of opportunities here. All of the comedic characters are meant to be real, and not broad mocking cartoons.

HAROLD HILL: The consummate con artist, who picks River City on a whim because he loves a challenge. His three big numbers (Trouble, Marian the Librarian, Seventy-Six Trombones) are as much about patter as they are about singing; he needs some dancing skills, too. Like all good con artists, he sells himself as much as everyone else. Perhaps the most revealing moment for his character is late in the show. To make nice with Marian's little brother, he says he thought being in the band would do the kid good. When the boy points out there wasn't a band, Hill replies, "I always think there's a band, kid."

MARIAN PAROO: The librarian and piano teacher. An acting challenge because we don't get a lot on the page to help build the character. Vocally, she tops out at a good solid F.

MARCELLUS WASHBURN: The sidekick. Needs some dance skills and some singing. The most convenient character in the history of musical theater-- if he didn't just happen to be in town, the whole rest of the show wouldn't happen.

TOMMY DJILAS: Teenaged boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Has some dancing, no solo singing.

ZANEETA SHINN: The mayor's teenaged daughter. Some dancing, no solo singing.

MAYOR SHINN: Bombastic, self-important blowhard. A fun role for a comedic character actor, with no singing or dancing.

WINTHROP PAROO: Marian's much younger brother (Ron Howard was 8 years old when he played him in the film). Embarrassed by his speech impediment, but comes out of his shell. One solo song.

AMARYLLIS: A young girl who studies piano with Marian nd pines for Winthrop. One song.

EULALIE MCKECKNIE SHINN: The mayor's wife. Another comedic character. Some talk-singing.

MRS. PAROO: Marian's very Irish mother, though we don't necessarily need an accent as broad as the one in the film. Tiny bit of singing, little dancing, though she could also be part of townspeople ensemble.

THE SCHOOL BOARD: A barbershop quartet. They have four numbers, and they are challenging. The ideal here is always to cast a pre-existing quartet. Acting is minimal (they just have to be cranky with each other).

CHARLIE COWELL: The closest thing the show has to a villain. He's out to get Hill, and he's pretty cranky about it. No singing or dancing.

There are plenty of other roles available, and I'll put those up in a separate post.

It's Happening

The Applefest production for Civic's 60th anniversary season will be The Music Man, one of the classics of musical theater and a great fit for our theater. River City, Iowa, was not a place not very different from our own towns here in Venangoland; the show is like a beautiful postcard from our own past.

In the weeks ahead I'll be filling in information about casting, the production, and most importantly, at first, all the reasons that you should think about being in this production of this great show.

You can use the gadget over at the right to subscribe by email, which means (for those of you who are less tech savvy) you can sign up to have the blog send you an email every time a new post goes up. No need to check in every day.

In the meantime, you can refresh your memory of the show (or discover it for the first time) by watching the old Robert Preston-Shirley Jones film version. It's not exactly like the stage version, but it's pretty close.