After a fun start to their season with the classic, “You Can’t Take It with You” last fall, theater arts at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria stops next at River City, Iowa, for their spring musical — Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man.”
“This enchanting, Tony Award-winning musical tells the tale of Harold Hill, a swindling con artist who lives only for himself and loves to take big risks in small-town America,” said Kathryn Rice, director of theater arts at Ireton. “That is until he unwittingly finds himself taking the biggest risk of all — falling in love. The whole family will enjoy this charming musical comedy filled with many priceless gems of the Great American Songbook.”
“I think memorizing all of the dialogue and trying to pin down the intention behind it has been the hardest part of working on the show,” said Aidan Furey, who plays leading man Hill. “Not just knowing my lines but understanding them and communicating that understanding to the audience. That’s the biggest challenge.”
Elina Viana plays Marian Paroo, River City’s uptight librarian and music teacher. The cast features a total of 49 students, including six students from diocesan elementary schools.
In addition to the expansive cast, theater arts boasts a robust theater tech program, including stage craft and costuming classes, and scenic arts and props clubs. The students in each group work together to transform Garwood Whaley Auditorium into another world.
“Relating to and understanding the characters is difficult as their world view was so different from what we know and how we act now,” said senior set designer Eve Wisneski. “However, from a set designer’s point of view, it’s fun learning about their way of living and seeing how much Americans have advanced in 100 years, both technologically and socially.”
The students act in and design the show and also are teaching it. Senior Aidan McNerney, who plays Jacey Squires a member of Hill’s barbershop quartet, has taken on assistant music director.
“It’s certainly a challenge for my first time teaching, but I’m proud of my fellow quartet members for their endless hard work,” he said.
The show also features several big Broadway dance numbers, with choreography created by seniors Maren Baisley and Gabriela Ramirez, junior Liz D’Souza, and sophomore Rachael Pulice. When asked about the dancing, Allison Dunnegan, who plays Pick-a-Little Lady Ethel Tofflemier, said, “Some of the numbers take a lot of time to learn. But the work is so rewarding when we finally put it all together and hear ourselves for the first time.”
Mayah Tiwari said she hopes audiences “take away the passion that we all feel for ‘The Music Man.’ ”
“This show is so much fun to practice and I’m sure it’ll be amazing to perform. I hope audiences enjoy it just as much as we do,” Tiwari said. “These characters are all so loveable, and our cast will do an outstanding job relaying that.”
Find out more
“The Music Man’’ runs March 24-April 1 at Bishop Ireton High School, 201 Cambridge Rd., Alexandria. Go to Bishopireton.org/fine-arts/theater-arts.
