The Talented Cast of The Music Man

I began last week’s blog by saying, “After casting 43 men, women….” Well, that number is now 41. This often happens with a big cast over the course of a rehearsal period. I must say that the 41 cast members we have are incredibly talented. In fact, this is one of the best singing ensembles I have seen since coming to Charlotte 8 years ago. So, this week and next, I decided to brag about these hard-working and incredibly dedicated folks.

I have to begin with our “teen” ensemble and the actors portraying the teen characters Zaneeta Shinn and Tommy Djilis, as well as the two youngsters who play Gracie Shinn and Winthrop Paroo. Tanner Bass is a senior at South Mecklenburg High School. THE MUSIC MAN is the third production he has appeared in. He made his theatrical debut last year in South Meck’s production of ONCE UPON A MATTRESS. This summer he performed in the Theatre Charlotte Student Theatre Guild production of CABARET. For Michael Jemison, THE MUSIC MAN, is his third production at Theatre Charlotte, having appeared in the Student Theatre Guild productions of CABARET and SWEENY TODD. He has also played JoJo in South Mecklenburg High School’s SEUSSICAL. John Pope is a junior at Marvin Ridge High School. THE MUSIC MAN also marks his third show at Theatre Charlotte. He has performed in the Student Theatre Guild’s CABARET and SWEENEY TODD. Other recent roles include Jesus in GODSPELL at Marvin Ridge High School. Nicholas Sidoran, a senior at Ardrey Kell High School, has been involved in the Charlotte theatre community for three years and hopes to pursue theatre as a career.

Patricia Phelan is a junior at UNCC where she is studying child psychology. She has appeared in such shows as THE WIZARD OF OZ (Dorothy), GREASE (Sandy), BAT BOY (Shelly Parker), among others. This is her first show at Theatre Charlotte. Lauren Thompson was recently seen in Davidson Community Players production of RAGTIME. She is a graduate of Northwest School of the Arts where she appeared in THE WEDDING SINGER (Linda), HAIR (tribe) and JOSEPH…DREAMCOAT (ensemble). This is her Theatre Charlotte debut. Liza Veilleux is a senior at South Mecklenburg High School and is appearing in her second show at Theatre Charlotte. She participated in the Student Theatre Guild production of CABARET this past summer. Sierra Key is 15 years old and attends Mooresville High School. She enjoys theatre, dance and singing. She recently performed in ONCE ON THIS ISLAND with Davidson Community Players Connie Company and in DCP’s production of RAGTIME.

As Tommy Djilis, Chase Jones, is making his debut at Theatre Charlotte. He holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition from the University of New Hampshire and works in cancer research at Carolinas Medical Center. Previous roles include FOOTLOOSE (Ren), LES MISERABLES (Jean Valjean) and WEST SIDE STORY (Shark). He is an alum of Charlotte Christian School. Hannah Day, Zaneeta Shinn, is appearing in her second production at Theatre Charlotte, having previously appeared in the Student Theatre Guild’s production of SWEENEY TODD. Other credits include HELLO DOLLY, BYE BYE BIRDIE and A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD, all at CPCC.

I have a particularly fondness for the youngster playing Gracie Shinn, the Mayor’s youngest daughter, as she is my daughter in real life. Chloe Law is 6 years old and a first grader at Trinity Episcopal School. THE MUSIC MAN is her fourth Theatre Charlotte production, including SEUSSICAL (Elephant Bird and in which she received a Metrolina Theatre Association nomination), A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Belle’s daughter) and ANNIE (orphan). As Winthrop Paroo, Noah Carroll is playing his “dream role.” This is Noah’s 4^th production at Theatre Charlotte and the 9^th in his fledgling 4-year theatre career. He is 10 years old and a fifth grade student at Trinity Episcopal School. He enjoys dancing and playing the piano, cello and guitar.

My next blog will feature more members of this incredible cast.

-Ron Law
Director, THE MUSIC MAN at Theatre Charlotte
9/1/11

THE MUSIC MAN runs September 9th through 25th at Theatre Charlotte. Tickets can be purchased through CarolinaTix at (704) 372-1000 or online at http://www.carolinatix.org/default.asp?tix=59&objId=2565

Rehearsing The Music Man

After casting 43 men, women, teenagers and children, Lisa Blanton (choreographer), Ryan Deal (music director) and I decided on a priority order of musical numbers to be rehearsed—starting with the most difficult. We then made a spreadsheet of all the existing conflicts of cast members. Then we began to create a rehearsal schedule to minimize the effects of absences, while taking into account our musical priority list. The typical rehearsal week at Theatre Charlotte is Sunday night through Thursday night.

There was another obstacle in the crafting of the rehearsal schedule. For the first week of a 5 week rehearsal period, we were not going to be able to use the stage, as an entire new rigging system was being installed. So, we scheduled vocal rehearsals the entire first week, with the cast members learning all the songs, harmonies and dynamics.

In the second week we began staging musical numbers, beginning with the most difficult movement—“Shipoopi.” Ryan Deal also doubles as rehearsal pianist. While Lisa was choreographing and didn’t need the piano, Ryan would dash to the green room and work vocals with the actors playing Ewart, Oliver, Jacey and Olin—the barbershop quartet.

Also, during the second week, I worked on character development with Harold Hill, Marian the Librarian, Winthrop Paroo, Mrs. Paroo, Mayor Shinn, Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, Alma Hix, Maud Dunlop, Mrs. Squires and others. I also began blocking the scenes that lead into and out of songs, as well as a small number of solo or small, non-dance numbers.

The installation of the new rigging system not only delayed the start of blocking and staging rehearsals, it also delayed the start of set construction. Chris Timmons, our technical director, began building the various components of the set during the second week of the rehearsal process. THE MUSIC MAN is quite a large production for our relatively small stage area.

This is a very dedicated, committed, energetic cast that can truly sing! And when not on stage rehearsing something, they are in the lobby working on sharpening dance numbers or in the green room working on vocals. I believe the fun part of theatre is in the process and the cast is having fun working and creating together. In a very short time, we have created a wonderful ensemble of very diverse people. In essence, we have created our perception of the townspeople of River City, iowa and that slick traveling salesman/pied piper, Harold Hill.

Check out the short “Shipoopi” rehearsal video on the Theatre Charlotte Facebook page. Watch and enjoy this talented cast work on this big production number. It should make you smile! And the woman who falls at the end of the number—well, that’s my wife and she’s supposed to do that. She suffers this indignity with grace and humor!

-Ron Law
Director, THE MUSIC MAN at Theatre Charlotte
8/25/11

THE MUSIC MAN runs September 9th through 25th at Theatre Charlotte. Tickets can be purchased through CarolinaTix at (704) 372-1000 or online at http://www.carolinatix.org/default.asp?tix=59&objId=2565

Preparing For The Music Man

THE MUSIC MAN is the 75^th production I have directed in professional theatre, college/university theatre, community theatre and children’s theatre. The first step in directing a play involves deciding whether you are passionate about the work. As director, you will be “married” to the piece for many months of pre-production and rehearsal work. Once I’ve decided to direct a show, I read it straight through without stopping, just as an audience member might experience it. If there are places that confuse me, make me laugh, cry or bore me, I mark them. Then I go back and read again for an understanding as to why the script worked that way for me.

I read a script many, many times before casting it and beginning rehearsals. I study the script for characterizations, motivations, through-line and conceptual ideas. While doing this, I research the author, composer and lyricist (if it’s a musical). For THE MUSIC MAN, I read Meredith Willson’s autobiography, “He Doesn’t Know the Territory: the Making of The Music Man.” I researched the time period (1912) and location (Iowa), including socio-economics, morals and attitudes, clothing, architecture, lifestyles, politics, music, and literature. I read about major influences on Willson, including John Phillip Sousa (the composer/conductor known particularly for his patriotic marches.)

Then it was time to meet separately with the production team: set designer Rebecca Primm, costume designer Jamey Varnadore, lighting designer Trista Rothe Bremer, choreographer Lisa Blanton and music director Ryan Deal. The set designer and I talked about style, space, line, color, concept and we went over the show, scene by scene. We discussed entrances, exits and major highlights of each scene. Finally, a set of drawings and a model were completed and approved by me and the technical director of Theatre Charlotte, Chris Timmons. The same process basically took place with each of the designers.

Lisa Blanton and I discussed style, movement and placement of every musical number in the show. Ryan Deal and I discussed the score, vocal needs and interpretation. Lisa, Ryan and I together discussed the dynamics of each number. We also discussed casting needs, such as which characters really need to dance, age and vocal ranges of each. We discussed character types, how many children, how many teens, how many males and how many females. Finally, we were prepared for auditions.

Heading into the audition process is very nerve-wracking for me. The day of the first auditions, I am quite anxious, wondering who will show up, if we’ll have enough of the right types, if we’ll have people that can dance and sing and what new talent will we discover. We held two nights of auditions at the end of July that were attended by 109 people of all ages! We heard each of them sing 16 bars of a song and Lisa put them through a short dance routine, ten at a time. Each night, we sorted through the audition forms and decided who would be called back and who would be cut. Callbacks were held on a third night and included reading from the script, learning and singing from THE MUSIC MAN score and pairing for size, look and age. From the 109 that auditioned we decided on a cast of 43, including 9 children ages 6 to 11, and 9 teens. We got their acceptances, contacted those who were not selected and then quickly worked through everyone’s prior commitments to craft a rehearsal schedule.

The rehearsal process, which began on Monday, August 1, will be the subject of my next blog.

-Ron Law
Director, THE MUSIC MAN at Theatre Charlotte
8/18/11

THE MUSIC MAN runs September 9th through 25th at Theatre Charlotte. Tickets can be purchased through CarolinaTix at (704) 372-1000 or online at http://www.carolinatix.org/default.asp?tix=59&objId=2565

The Music Man: An Unlikely Broadway Smash Hit

The first five decades of Meredith Willson’s life formed the foundation for his best-known work, THE MUSIC MAN. During his career prior to writing the music, lyrics and book of THE MUSIC MAN, Willson played with John Philip Sousa and Arturo Toscanini, conducted the New York Philharmonic, achieved great fame in radio and television, musically scored successful motion pictures and composed pop hits of his day, as well as full symphonies.

The official impetus to write THE MUSIC MAN came when his good friend and fellow composer Frank Loesser suggested he adapt his stories of growing up in Mason City, Iowa into a full-length musical. Willson had for years entertained friends like Loesser with these stories.

THE MUSIC MAN evolved over a six year period in the early to mid-1950s. The story was based on real people from Mason City, as well as actual occurrences that Willson witnessed and experienced growing up.

Initially 3 hours and 45 minutes long, Willson continuously re-worked the script and score of THE MUSIC MAN, cutting songs, changing characters, writing new songs and changing lyrics. During this time, while concentrating on cutting the score, Willson added a new song to the show—“Seventy Six Trombones” and it became the show-stopper. Many re-writes, and cutting continued. Some 45 songs were written, with many discarded, ending up with about 18 in the final version.

Kermit Bloomgarden, noteworthy for producing Broadway hits like DEATH OF A SALESMAN and THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK was an unlikely candidate to produce THE MUSIC MAN. After hearing Meredith Willson and his wife Rini perform the show for him, Bloomgarden called Willson into his office and said, “May I have the privilege of producing your play?” One year later, to the day, THE MUSIC MAN debuted on Broadway—six years and several producers after Willson started working on it.

The casting search was the next phase. Many notable musical comedy performers were considered and offered the lead role of Harold Hill and turned it down: Danny Kaye, Dan Dailey, Gene Kelly, Ray Bolger, Jackie Gleason, Milton Berle, Jason Robards, Art Carney, Andy Griffith and Bert Parks. Meredith Willson was finally asked to view an audition by Robert Preston, known mostly for dramatic Hollywood movie roles. Preston performed “Ya Got Trouble” and was chosen on the spot to play the slick salesman, Harold Hill.

An interesting casting note: ten year old Eddie Hodges was spotted by Willson’s wife Rini while he was appearing as a contestant on a TV quiz show, NAME THAT TUNE, where he had been wowing viewers with his knowledge of music. Rini told Meredith, “There’s Winthrop.” Several weeks later he was a member of the cast.

THE MUSIC MAN opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on December 19, 1957. The show that some people thought might be too folksy for the sophisticated Broadway audiences became an instant hit and played for 1,375 performances. It won the Tony Award as the Best Broadway musical of that season, beating out WEST SIDE STORY for this honor. THE MUSIC MAN endures as a salute to a by-gone era—as a Valentine to a more innocent America—and is one of the most popular and most-produced musicals throughout the United States.

I have been a fan of this show since I was a boy and am really excited to finally be able to direct it!

-Ron Law
Director, THE MUSIC MAN at Theatre Charlotte
8/11/11

THE MUSIC MAN runs September 9th through 25th at Theatre Charlotte. Tickets can be purchased through CarolinaTix at (704) 372-1000 or online at http://www.carolinatix.org/default.asp?tix=59&objId=2565

Busy Month Ahead at Theatre Charlotte

Looking ahead into the month of April, it seems that the Theatre Charlotte calendar is basically littered with special events. As a staff member, it’s a little scary to see something different going on pretty much every Friday and Saturday for an entire month, but it’s also exciting and definitely gives us a lot to look forward to (including, but not limited to, the month of May which will mostly be taken up by our final production of the season, Smoke on the Mountain).

Here’s a rundown of what’s going on in April:
This weekend – April 9-10 – 24 Hour Theatre Project
Next weekend – Friday, April 16th – just do it “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”
Saturday, April 17th – Junior Cabaret
The following weekend – Friday, April 23rd – Helen Kearney Konen’s Actor’s Studio Showcase
Saturday, April 24th – Volunteer Work Day for Smoke on the Mountain (10am – 1pm)
Saturday, April 24th – Charlotte Film Society “Nothing but the Truth” (7:30pm)

So, we’re got a pretty busy month ahead. In order to keep everyone filled in on every event we have this month, I’ll try to post a blog to tell you more about each of these events. For now, here’s more information about this weekend’s event, the 24 Hour Theatre Project, and a personal story about my participation in this crazy day at the theatre!
The 24 Hour Theatre Project is a really fun, unpredictable, and slightly off-the-wall event. Once a standard event for BareBones Theatre Group, this project now finds a new home at Theatre Charlotte with the help and expertise of Jim Yost, one of BareBones founders. Here’s how the event works: At 8:00pm on Friday night, April 9, 6 playwrights - Vito Abate, Matt Cosper, Bryce Cyrier, Kirk Dickens, Emma Gutt, Peter Smeal – will get a theme or some sort of starting point that they will then use to each write a 10 minute play in less than 12 hours. Then, Saturday morning, 6 directors - Jillian Claire, Robert Haulbrook, Parker Horn, Ben McCarthy, Julie Strassel, and Greta Zandstra – will receive copies of those plays, audition actors, rehearse the plays, and then present them at 8:00pm on Saturday, April 10.

A few years ago, my husband and I took on the task of writing one of the plays for the 24 Hour Theatre Project. This made for one of the longest nights of my life! Our “theme” was to choose one of two pre-selected Shakespearean sonnets (neither of which we really understood). We spent the first few hours just trying to come up with an idea of what the play could be about. When we finally settled on something - a play written in reverse, starting at the end and then ending at the beginning – we spent the rest of the night frantically writing, writing too much, adding too many characters, and then trying to cut back to stay within the time and character limits. Finally, we just had to cross our fingers, press print, and turn in our play. I spent the next 12 hours stressed out that our jumbled mess of a play wouldn’t make any sense and would turn out terribly. I desperately wanted to go talk to the director and explain the script to him, but playwrights were not allowed in the rehearsal space. So we waited. Finally, it was showtime. Our play actually turned out MUCH better than we expected, making the whole nerve-wracking experience totally worth it! Hopefully this year’s writers, directors, actors, and audience members will have just as much fun as we did a few years ago!

Want to be a part of the 24 Hour Theatre Project? Come to auditions at 9:00am this Saturday, April 10th.
Want to come to the 24 Hour Theatre Project? Tickets are $10 and are available at the door starting at 7:00pm on Saturday.

More info: http://www.theatrecharlotte.org/24hour.htm

Meet Ellis - our new Marketing intern

Hello everyone, I would like to start by saying Theatre Charlotte is the “bomb.com.” Next, I would like to introduce myself. My names Ellis Lloyd and I am a senior at Johnson & Wales, with an Associates degree in Business Administration studying to get my Bachelors degree in Marketing. I am currently interning in the marketing department of Theatre Charlotte and having a lot of fun working with such a wonderful staff. I also feel privileged to promote such high quality and downright good plays. I work behind the scenes with Mrs. Jackie Timmons to spread the word of these phenomenal experiences that they provide the community. I really do not have any previous Theatre experience but I do enjoy the experience as well as the atmosphere. So come on down, purchase a ticket bring the family and join us here at Theatre Charlotte and become part of the family.