Manchester —
C.A.S.T. to present ‘The Music Man’
The Music Man” comes marching into Manchester High School as this summer’s production by the Children’s Associated Summer Theatre. The classic musical comedy is set in the quiet town of River City, Iowa, which Professor Harold Hill, a traveling con man, sees as the perfect place for his scam.
Click the thumbnails above to see the full size pictures.
The show, which will be the 22nd summer production of C.A.S.T., a non-profit theater organization based in Manchester , has a cast of 103 students ages 5 to 18 years old. The young performers are from Manchester, South Windsor, Vernon and other surrounding towns.
“This is a classic Broadway production by Meredith Wilson,” said Donna Mercier , executive director of C.A.S.T.. “A con artist comes to River City, Iowa, in 1912 to sell musical instruments to the gullible citizens. He falls in love with the local librarian and gets caught in his own web.”
Katie Nunes of South Windsor plays librarian Marian Paroo, Theo Koboboski of South Windsor is Professor Harold Hill, Caleb Duval of Manchester is Winthrop Paroo, KC Beauregard of South Windsor is Mrs. Paroo, Jimmy Donohue , of Vernon is Mayor Shinn, and Rhiannon Elliott of Manchester is Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn. The production will also include Manchester High School orchestra members and students from Manchester High School’s technical crew.
The show is filled with memorable songs like “Till There Was You,” “76 Trombones” and “Shipoopi” and a barbershop quartet of Eric Koboski, Jonathan Ockert, Joe Sica and Sam Nunes, all of South Windsor.
“I am very proud of the hard work our students have put into this show. Their talent and enthusiasm make my job easy. Our music director, Donna Schaffer, has set a wonderful standard for all of them, and they all take it seriously. This is a great family show with lots of colors and excitement,” Mercier said.
The performances will be given Thursday, July 30, at 1 p.m. and Friday, July 31, and Saturday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m. at Manchester High School’s air-conditioned Bailey Auditorium. The doors open one hour before each show. Tickets are $10 for student, children and seniors citizens, and $12 for adults, and will be available at the door or by calling C. A.S.T. at (860) 649-5062 .