'The Music Man' teleports audiences through time as a 'love letter to small town America'

Contributed photo: Hill and Paroo play the main characters in 'The Music Man'

Contributed photo: Harold Hill plays Reese Lemaster and Karly Johnson plays Marian Paroo in 'The Music Man'

For four nights of outdoor entertainment, Troy University Department of Theatre and Dance joins the symphony band to showcase their newest performances of “The Music Man.”

From April 3 to April 6 in the Janice Hawkins Cultural Park amphitheater, Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will be performing a golden age classic that follows a traveling salesman who plans to scam the residents of River City, Iowa, — that is, until he falls in love with the town’s librarian.

“It’s set in 1912 Iowa but shines as a sort of universal love letter to small town America,” said Dr. Tori Lee Averett, associate dean for the College of Communications and Fine Arts and director of the play. “It’s a celebration of the arts, community and Troy University’s strong and enduring legacy of fine and performing arts education.”

Unlike most of the department’s other performances, the play will be held in the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park amphitheater behind Rushing Hall and the International Arts Center, an atmosphere that Averett said is perfect for springtime.

“The outdoor venue paired with the concert-style, minimalistic set ensures that this show will be very different from what people are used to,” said Reese Lemaster, a sophomore theatre major from Montgomery, Alabama, who plays lead character and con man, Harold Hill. “The park setting allows for a fully immersive atmosphere that transports you directly to 1912 Iowa.”

These performances will stand as just the second full-scale production in the outdoor amphitheater, and it will feature the entire Troy University Symphony Band.

“The songs are so beautiful and catchy that you will find yourself singing ‘76 Trombones’ for the next week,” said Karly Johnson, a senior theatre education major from Panama City, Florida, who plays the librarian Marian Paroo.

The performances also boast a team of more than 100 people onstage and backstage, what Averett calls an exciting collective effort and an impressive showing of the talent in Troy’s performing arts areas.

“I am grateful to have such a wonderful team of people with whom I get to work,” Averett said. “I’m proud of the students for the accomplishment of mounting such an ambitious project, and I’m excited to be able to share with audiences what we’ve created together.

“It’s a wonderful chance to get outside and enjoy the beauty of our campus and nature, to share with fellow students and community in a lighthearted evening of entertainment. The levity of the show provides a much-needed escape and break from the stresses of the semester and all that’s going on in the world. Plus, I believe students will be proud of their university when they see the level and quality of this production.

“The arts at Troy are definitely worth celebrating.”

Tickets for the play are currently on sale at www.troy.edu/theatreanddance. They are $10 for reserved seats and $5 if you bring your own seating, which includes lawn chairs, blankets and more.

Troy students can enter for $5 with their Student ID.