Last summer

audiences packed the Willie Duke Auditorium at Starr's Mill High School

to take in Fayette Players and Community Theatre's production of "The

Sound of Music." This summer the local theatre group will present

another beloved musical classic, "The Music Man," at Sams Auditorium

in Fayetteville and those associated with Fayette Players are sure audiences

will be as enchanted with this show as they were with "The Sound

of Music."

"When

limited to a summer-only production we chose 'The Music Man' for several

reasons," said Fayette Players and Community Theatre President Joan

Velsmid. "The show has a wide appeal, uses all age groups and is

very family-oriented. It is not unusual that we have many cast members

from one family."

This production

of "The Music Man" is unique in that the stars have built-in

chemistry. The roles of Professor Harold Hill and his love interest, Marian

Paroo, the town librarian, will be played by Stephen and Miranda Davis,

who are husband and wife. There are also several father/ daughter and

mother/daughter/son combinations on stage as well as backstage. The cast

is fairly large but three special women are keeping everything in order.

The show is

being directed by Kathy Andersen, a drama teacher at Sandy Creek High

School. Others may remember her for her turn as Miss Hannigan in Fayette

Community Theatre's production of "Annie." She directed five

shows at Sandy Creek High School over the past year and has also been

involved with Clayton Alliance for Summer Theatre and the Georgia Youth

Ballet in the past.

One of Andersen's

partners in crime for this show is Mille Turek, the founder of the Fayette

Youth Chorale and the director of music at Sandy Creek High School. She

and Andersen have worked on a number of shows at Sandy Creek together

and know each other styles and personalities, making this show all the

easier for cast and crew as well as each other. "The Music Man"

is the fourth show that Turek has done with Fayette Players. She has also

introduced the Virtual Orchestra to the group and is one of the first

musical directors to use it for a community theatre. Virtual Orchestra

is a computer program that provides the full sound of an orchestra.

The choreographer

for the show is Jonsie Pollock, who is also very familiar with both Fayette

Players as well as Turek and Andersen. She is co-director of Georgia Youth

Ballet and has choreographed shows for both Sandy Creek High School and

Fayette Players. She received her dance training in Connecticut with Ballet

Etudes Repertory Company, achieving the rank of soloist, and in New York

at the Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theater. Pollock was also a

member of the ballet corps at Radio City Music Hall and danced the role

of Graziella in American Musical Theater's production of "West Side

Story."

With Andersen,

Turek and Pollock at the helm, the show has come together. The cast has

worked hard, rehearsing some weeks up to four nights a week. "The

Music Man" has also had a very dedicated crew of between 25 and 30

people that have built sets, created costumes, accumulated props and will

help the show run smoothly during its run.

For those unfamiliar

with the show, "The Music Man" focuses on a con man, Professor

Harold Hill, who arrives in River City, Iowa in 1912 and convinces the

town to support and pay for his idea for the River City Boys Marching

Band. While in town, Hill falls for a librarian, Marian Paroo, but when

Hill's character and credentials come into question, he must prove himself

to the town and to Marian. Some of the more famous song to come from this

musical are "Ya Got Trouble," "76 Trombones," "Shipoopi,"

"Gary, Indiana," and "Til There Was You."

"The Music

Man" was written by Meredith Willson and serves in part as a tribute

to his hometown. It is a patriotic, fun-filled, family oriented show that

has been in the hearts of audiences around the world since it opened on

Broadway in 1957. It has been made into a successful film as well as a

recent television special starring Matthew Broderick.

"The Music

Man" will run at Sams Auditorium tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30

p.m. for a special preview price of $5. Regular performances will take

place Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. through July 19. There will be one

Sunday matinee, July 6 at 2:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 for children

and $12 for adults. Phone 770-631-8568 for tickets .

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