Oh, the Wells Fargo Wagon is coming… to the stage at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center! The New Tampa Players, New Tampaโs community theater troupe, is preparing to open its summer production of โThe Music Man.โ
This classic musical features toe-tapping tunes, colorful costumes and a cast filled with neighbors, teachers and students. โThe Music Manโ is bringing people together both onstage and off.
โThe New Tampa Players (NTP) chose โMusic Manโ for this summer because it is just fun that will have our audiences humming the tunes for days! It has big dance numbers, silly comedy and characters that make you smile!,โ says NTP producing artistic director Nora Paine.
The cast of 40 includes a wide range of community members โ from first-time performers to stage veterans. David Groomes and Becky Groomes, veterans of the Tampa stage, join NTPโs cast as the con man Harold Hill and the River City mayorโs wife Eulalie Shinn. Melanie Marie Bierwieler, who earned raves as Lina in last summerโs โSinginโ in the Rain,โ plays the female lead, Marian Paroo, River Cityโs prim and skeptical librarian.
Set in 1912, โThe Music Man,โ which won five Tony Awards in 1958, including Best Musical, was written by Meredith Wilson. It tells the story of Harold Hill (originally played by Tony winner Robert Preston and by Hugh Jackman in the 2022 Broadway revival), a charming con man who poses as a traveling bandleader. He arrives in River City, Iowa, planning to sell instruments and uniforms to the townspeople, and then skip town without teaching the children how to play.
However, Haroldโs plan starts to unravel when he falls for Marian (originally played by Tony winner Barbara Cook on Broadway), the townโs librarian and piano teacher. As he grows genuinely fond of Marian and the community, Harold inadvertently brings the town together โ creating a boysโ band and actually lifting local spirits.
In the end, despite being exposed as a fraud, Harold is forgiven by the townspeople, thanks in large part to Marianโs support and the unexpected positive impact he ends up having on the town. The show celebrates themes of transformation, redemption and community.
Whether you know every lyric to โSeventy-Six Trombonesโ or are new to River City, โThe Music Manโ promises an unforgettable night of music, heart and good old-fashioned fun.
Performances will run Fridays-Sundays, July 25-27 and August 1-3 at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, with both evening and matinee options. Tickets can be purchased at NewTampaPlayers.thundertix.com. For more info, visit NewTampaPlayers.org or see the ad below. โ Special to the Neighborhood News, including the photos on this page.ย
