Professor Harold Hill pulls in to Monticello

MONTICELLO, NY — This year’s Monticello High School musical production will be “The Music Man,” the classic musical with book, music and lyrics written by Meredith Wilson. Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1, in the Arnold Packer Hughs Auditorium.

The musical tells the story of traveling salesman, Harold Hill (John Garry), and his visit to a small Iowa town in 1912 where he meets and falls in love with the spinster librarian, Marian Paroo (Kristen VanHage). With his fast-talking style, “Professor” Hill convinces the town to adopt his revolutionary music program to save the youngsters of River City from corruption. Marian rightly considers Hill a fraud, especially when he espouses the “Think System” of learning music: if you think a tune, he claims, you can play it. But Marian becomes Hill’s staunchest ally when her young brother Winthrop (Peter Chocolate), sullen and withdrawn since the death of his father, exuberantly comes out of his shell at the prospect of joining Hill’s band; and Marian’s budding romance with the charming but unreliable Hill ultimately brings her out of her own shell as well.

The show includes such durable favorites as “Seventy-six Trombones,” “Goodnight My Someone,” and “‘Til There Was You.”

Directing this year’s show is Jennifer Romano. Joyce Wells is choral director, while Patti Sonnenschein will be designing and overseeing set construction. Ann Carmeci is responsible for costumes, Ken Uy is accompanist and Kevin Dirth is producer and theatre orchestra director.

Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for students and can be obtained at the door. Senior citizens will be admitted free.

For more information call 845/794-8840, ext. 10993.