As North Hawaii’s premiere community theater company enters it’s 50th season, the group is commencing a yearlong celebration of some of its greatest successes from past seasons, beginning with a reprise of the Meredith Willson Broadway spectacular, “The Music Man.” The musical will be directed by Miguel Bray with Barbara Kopra as musical director.
As North Hawaii’s premiere community theater company enters it’s 50th season, the group is commencing a yearlong celebration of some of its greatest successes from past seasons, beginning with a reprise of the Meredith Willson Broadway spectacular, “The Music Man.” The musical will be directed by Miguel Bray with Barbara Kopra as musical director.
Professor Harold Hill, played by John Stover, is a con man extraordinaire whose specialty is selling boys bands — instruments, uniforms, the works — to gullible Midwesterners, collecting the cash, and skipping town. But when Harold arrives in River City, Iowa, the local piano teacher, Marian the librarian, played by Amy Mills, catches on to his scheme, and may bring his winning streak to a crashing halt. Mayor Shinn, portrayed by John Sucke, and his florid wife, Eulalie, played by Dorothy Biron, have their own plans for the slippery professor Hill. Marian’s Irish mother, Mrs. Paroo, will be portrayed by Kathleen Donovan, and younger brother, the shy and lisping Winthrop, by Hunter Kalahiki-Armbruster. Amaryllis, a piano student enamored of tiny Winthrop, is played by Charlee Brown. Teenage town rebel Tommy is played by Bryden Jones and his girlfriend Zaneeta by Susie Krall.
A townfull of additional colorful characters includes Harold’s old con man partner, Marcellus, brought to life by Jeff Jones; the bickering school board members, who accidentally become a barbershop quartet, include Jack Watson, Rick Turnbow, Clem Lam and Duncan Dempster. The Pick-a-Little Ladies include Melora Purell, Janie Edmondson, Jada Rufo and Rona Lee. Constable Locke will be played by Keith Vachon, mean-spirited Charlie Cowell by Dan Bal and Gracie Shinn by Kealia Haitsuka.
Additional River City townspeople will round out the large cast and include Ilene Harrington, Elodia LeMay, Emily and Bruce Risley, Bendict and Ayushi Purell, Nancy Perry, Bailey Wharton, Steven Taylor, Dan Biron, Melia Van Kirk, Kyra Matsuda, Lily and Violet Duncan, Elaine Brown, Pearl Dickson, Juliette Devost, Erica Yost, Leina’ala Taylor, Joey Cootey, Anuhea Young, Jada Rufo and Sami and Janie Edmondson.
“The Music Man” will be presented at Parker School Theatre on Friday and Saturday evenings and on Sunday afternoons from Aug. 2 through 18. Ticket prices are expected to be about $18 for adults with discounts for seniors, students, military members and children. Tickets will be available from the cast and from select ticket outlets in Waimea and Kailua-Kona approximately two weeks before the performance. More information is available at the group’s Facebook pages, or by visiting waimeacommunitytheatre.org.