Music Man (Children's Theatre Experience) April 19, 2008

The Music Man was one of the last great movie musicals from any studio, and it proved to be that rarest of events: a Broadway show that has stood the test of time. Music Man tells the story of "Professor" Harold Hill, the upbeat charlatan who promises to teach a small-town boys band by the "think system." Composer Meredith Willson based The Music Man on his own small-town Midwestern boyhood, circa 1912, a quasi-mythical place where the old-maid librarian looks and sings like a songbird named Marian. The boy is an adorable Winthrop, lisp-singing "Gary, Indiana." Willson's entire score, featuring a combination of what are now standards, such as "Goodnight My Someone" and "Till There Was You" and show-specific numbers ("Trouble," "76 Trombones"), is never less than infectious. This dazzling production is also as bright and sunny as any 4th of July in Iowa could ever hope to be.

Children's Theatre Experience (CTE) is an organization dedicated to providing children of all ages the opportunity to experience the magic of live, musical theatre. This non-profit educational organization is designed to expose children to all aspects of professional theatre productions, including:

Training in all theatre arts, from acting to choreography to voice training.

Learning the art of appreciating live theatre as part of an audience.

This environment is designed to foster self-confidence as well as the satisfaction of successful performance, both solo and as part of a large ensemble. And, parents are offered the unique opportunity to train and perform with their children. (Many members have suggested that maybe we should change our name to "Family" Theatre Experience....hmmm?)

Official Website: http://www.ctexperience.com/claremont/default.asp