'The Music Man' marches into the Crighton July 15

Mike Anderson has always been fascinated by “The Music Man.”

“When I was growing up, my dad had a red record of ‘The Music Man,’” he said. “He knew the whole thing and he still does to this day.”

In college, Anderson was in the quartet of a “Music Man” production.

On July 15, he’ll fulfill a dream and step on the Crighton Theatre stage as fast-talking con man Professor Harold Hill in Stage Right Production’s rendition of the classic show.

“The Music Man” runs weekends July 15-31 at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. July 24 and 31.

Manny Cafeo, a director with 30 years of experience, leads the cast in Meredith Willson’s tale of fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he vows to organize – this despite the fact he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain’s fall.

Popular tunes from the show include “Goodnight, My Someone,” “Til There Was You,” and “Seventy-six Trombones.”

Anderson said the role of Professor Harold Hill is one of the most challenging roles he’s had in a long time due to the high-energy level that remains throughout the musical.

“But concentration is the key, if I’m not concentrating you can tell” he said. “You have to be able to rattle this stuff off. There’s only one time where I slow the dialogue down.”

Anderson studied various productions of “The Music Man” on YouTube and did some modeling after the Robert Preston character from the 1962 production.

“But I bring my own character to it as well,” he said. “It’s a collage of all these different people I’ve seen.”

Anderson is playing opposite of Ginny Mendez, who plays Marian the librarian.

He said the audience will be able to tell they’ve worked together before.

They played the leads in Stage Right’s “Lend Me a Tenor” last year and at Playhouse 1960’s “White Christmas.”

“She’s very talented and sings beautifully,” he said. “It’s a joy to work with her.”

Because Mendez will be out of town on the opening weekend of the show July 15-16, Jenny Hoofnagle will be playing the Marian role the first weekend. Mendez will return for performances July 22-31.

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Actually, I find that models are either African or mixed if they’re "black". For example, out of the models you named, Naomi Campbell, Sessilee Lopez, and Lanisha Cole are mixed. Just because they are dark-skinned doesn’t mean that they are fully African. Only Wakeema and Damaris are not mixed and the rest are from Africa.

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