'Music Man' plays IU

For the first time in over a decade, Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" comes to the IU Auditorium today. The show runs at 8 p.m. tonight and Wednesday. \nBringing with it an all-singing, all-dancing, all-trombone-playing cast, the show has been hailed as a spectacular revival of this classic American musical. The play tells the story of fast-talking salesman Harold Hill, who convinces the small town of River City that he can teach their children to play in a marching band. However, instead of skipping town before the instruments arrive, the conman falls in love with the town librarian, Marian Paroo. The story shows Hill's effect on the small town's citizens, and their influence on him as well.\n"(The show) is one of the strongest road programs I've seen in a long time," said IU Auditorium Director Doug Booher, who had a chance to preview "The Music Man" during the summer before signing it on as part of the 2002-2003 theater season. "Even if you've seen it before, this is a new incarnation of the show ... It's familiar but with a fresh twist."\nUnlike most touring productions that bring two or three trucks and perhaps a dozen or so cast members, "The Music Man" will make its Bloomington debut with the help of six trucks full of sets, costumes and props, as well as 44 actors. Setup will take approximately 12 hours, but the work, according to cast member Molly Morris (Gracie Shinn), is well worth it. \n"It's a beautiful set. It's huge and it's gorgeous," she said. "Every town we've gone to, everyone has fallen in love with the show. People really seem to love it no matter how old they are. It's a timeless tale. It takes place in 1912 but I think it [still] holds true. It was a really good show to begin with but the orchestrations done for the revival bring a whole other quality to the show. It's more exciting." \nA great deal of the credit for this rejuvenation has been given to director-choreographer Susan Stroman. Morris had a great deal of praise for her, and she was not alone. \nVariety's Chris Jones wrote that Stroman's "fabulous finale ... is likely to pop viewers straight to their feet" in his review of the play. \nFor those who haven't purchased their tickets yet it's not too late. Tickets are available at the IU Auditorium box office or from Ticketmaster. General public tickets range from $32 to $57, while student tickets are $17 to $37 with a valid ID. \nThe show promises acrobatic choreography and an inventive style which continue to the very last bow. \n"Don't leave before the show is over," Morris said. "We have a really great finale during the curtain call"