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"Shipoopi!"
That is just one of the catchy songs presented in the hit
Broadway musical "The Music Man." Talented students
at Garden Valley Collegiate will be putting on this show from
October 28 until November 1 in the Garden Valley Gymnasium, which
is slowly being transformed to resemble River City, Iowa in 1912.
Directed by GVC teachers Loretta Thorleifson and Gary Hornung,
"The Music Man" was written by Meredith Wilson and
was based on the author's own experiences as a child. It is a
story about a traveling salesman, the scheming Harold Hill (played
by Matthew Pauls).
Hill goes from town to town selling instruments, band uniforms
and music books, claiming that after the goods come he will put
together a marching band. However, when the products come, and
Hill has the money, he quickly skips town, finding the next community
to rip off. When he comes to River City, Iowa, Hill follows his
same plan, only the story takes a great twist, when he falls
in love with Marian Paroo.
Paroo (played by Loretta Friesen) is the town librarian and
she can read Hill like a book. She finds herself falling for
the salesman, when he gets her younger brother in the band. Toward
the end of the performance, other salesmen are catching up with
Hill, ready to nail him for his acts, but in the knick of time,
Hill's love for Marian Paroo saves him, and the town of River
City is changed forever.
GVC students with many different backgrounds have combined
their talents to put together the current production of "The
Music Man." Preparation for musical began last May with
advertisements for student auditions. Students were auditioned
and chosen, starting August 26, and they then dove head-first
into "practice, practice, practice!"
"On average, we probably spend anywhere from two-to-five
hours a day working on ‘The Music Man,'" says Loretta
Thorleifson. "We spend two hours on the performance, another
hour practicing with the band, and more with scenes requiring
specialized practice."
The many hours and great amount of work should help to ensure
the success of the musical. Work on the play has had its ups-and-downs,
as does any large production. Problems with conflicting schedules,
high emotions, and the many business details creates much stress
for both the students and directors.
However, one of the stars, Loretta Friesen, takes a philosophical
attitude about it all.
"Exciting practises, costumes, and friends make the play
bearable even through the hard times," she comments.
Thorleifson noted it takes "hours of time and energy
and planning" to produce a good show.
"It's going to be great and it will all be worth it in
the end," she says with confidence.
Garden Valley Collegiate mounts a large-scale production every
other year.
"To do it every year would be pushing it," says
Thorleifson. "It takes a lot of hard work and time, and
I think we all get pretty tired, so we need a break. It gets
people excited for the next one to come and gives us more time
to plan the next large performance." |
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