Huntsville, ya got trouble. Right here in Rocket City.
Ok, so I may have changed the wording a bit (River City, Rocket City), but the idea is still the same. And in this instance the trouble is coming from Huntsville Community Chorus presents The Music Man.
New Spin on a Classic
And not just your standard version of The Music Man. HCCA is producing an all kids version of the show.
You heard me correctly. All kids. As in grades 3-12. Meredith Wilson’s classic show, The Music Man would be a monumental undertaking with an adult cast, so what prompted the HCCA to use all kids?
Photo credit: Jeff White
For newlywed director James Desta and musical director Bess Jernigan Desta it was all about opportunity.
“The idea came when we noticed there were few, if any, opportunities for the youth in this town to participate in productions of real, tried-and-true, well-known musicals in any way other than as ‘Child 1’ or something equally innocuous,” James told me. “After talking about it, we decided that we really wanted to provide that opportunity for them.”
And as you might imagine, the pair had their share of doubters along the way. But that didn’t stop them.
“I was surprised at all the doubting I heard from others about the project. ‘Are you sure kids can pull off a show like that?’ The answer is yes, because no one has told them they can’t. They don’t know how hard this material is, and I’m certainly not going to tell them. They chose to audition for us, and they’re choosing to invest an enormous amount of hard work to ensure that they have the best show and experience they possibly can.” James said.
The Perfect Story
With his fast-talking style, “Professor” Harold Hill convinces the parents of River City to buy instruments and uniforms for their youngsters in order to save them, but chaos ensues as Hill’s credentials are questioned and he is called upon to prove himself to the citizens of River City. And in the end, it is Harold Hill who is converted into a true believer.
[pullquote align=”left”]Are you sure kids can pull off a show like that? The answer is yes, because no one has told them they can’t. They don’t know how hard this material is, and I’m certainly not going to tell them. ” -Director James Desta [/pullquote] This is perhaps the perfect story for this particular cast. We as a society tend to underestimate our children, but this is not a mistake director James made while directing this production.
“These kids are intelligent, hungry for a challenge beyond mindless work or a grueling schedule. They want to create. They want to explore,” James said. And he hopes you’ll take an afternoon or evening to come and see all the hard work his cast has put into the show.
So just how would he describe his production?
“Because we have a younger cast, I wanted the energy to be younger and fresher, too. You’ll see lots of jumping up on chairs and benches. You’ll hear clean, developing voices singing in a healthy, sometimes conservative way. You’ll see vibrant, varied costumes that keep the eye focused on the ensemble as a whole. You’ll also see a fairly minimalistic set; I felt that “too much” would overshadow the charm of an all-youth cast, and a suggestive set would better showcase their talent,” James told me.
Sounds good to me.
Sing Along
The Music Man is filled with classic musical theater songs. Even if you haven’t heard of the show, I’d be willing to bet you could hum along with one or two of the show’s songs.
Here’s just a few:
- Ya Got Trouble
- Goodnight My Someone
- Seventy-Six Trombones
- Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little
- Marian The Librarian
- Gary, Indiana
- Till There Was You
Tickets
There’s a ticket price for everyone when Huntsville Community Chorus presents The Music Man. Each Thursday night will be a special open dress rehearsal performance, which gives the actors a chance a perform in front of a live audience AND means lower ticket prices for you. A win-win in my book. These open dress shows are scheduled for Thursday, July 25th and Thursday August 1st at 7:30pm , and all seats are general admission. (The rest of the performances will have reserved seating.)
Ticket Prices:
- Thursday open dress: $5 for students (that’s K-12) and $10 for everyone else
- Evening shows: $23 adults, $18 sr. citizens/college students, $12 K-12
- Matinees: are $20 adults, $15 srs./college students, $12 K-12
All shows will be at the VBC Playhouse. You can purchase tickets by calling the HCCA box office at (256) 533-6606 or stop by the HCCA office at, 3312 Long Avenue, SW (Fantasy Arts Center); general office hours are 9:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m.
About The Chorus
The Huntsville Community Chorus Association (HCCA) was established in 1946 and is Huntsville’s first performing arts organization. They are a non-profit, all-volunteer community organization, housing several ensembles, choruses and musical theatre groups.
As part of HCCA’s mission to educate and foster choral singing in the community, they have programs for children, scholarships for young adults, variety of ensembles for adults, and musical theatre opportunities each year.
To learn more about HCCA:
Event Information: Huntsville Community Chorus presents The Music Man
Dates and Times:
- Evening performances: 7/26, 7/27, 8/2, 8/3 at 7:30pm
- Matinee performances: 7/27, 7/28, 8/3 at 2:00pm
- Open Dress rehearsal: 7/25, 8/1 at 7:30pm
Location: VBC Playhouse
Cost: Evening shows: $23 adults, $18 sr. citizens/college students, $12 K-12; Matinee shows: $20 adults, $15 srs./college students, $12 K-12; Open dress: $5 students, K-12; $14 all others
Tickets: To purchase tickets, call (256) 533-6606 or visit www.thechorus.org
Guest blogger for We Are Huntsville. Are you interested in writing a post for our site? Email katelyn@wearehuntsville.com.
