THE MUSIC MAN Comes to Temple Of Music & Art

Arizona Theatre Company (David Ivers, Artistic Director; Billy Russo, Managing Director) brings the iconic musical The Music Man to Tucson's Temple of Music & Art from Dec. 1-30 and the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix from Jan. 5-27, 2019.

Directed by ATC Artistic Director David Ivers, The Music Man is based on a story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey with music and lyrics by Willson. The plot revolves around con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naïve townfolk living in the River City Iowa in 2012. Promising to train members of the band, Hill's plan is to leave town without giving any lessons. When librarian and piano teacher Marian Paroo figures out the scam, her attention and affections turn upside when Harold helps her younger brother, Winthrop overcome his lisp and social awkwardness.

Broadway's Bill English (Anything Goes, 20thCentury) stars as Harold Hill. Manna Nichols (Allegianceand national tour of The King and I) is Marian Paroo and Tucson native Nathaniel Wiley, who is making his professional acting debut at age 9 in the show, is featured as Winthrop.

The Music Man won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 1957 and ran for 1,375 performances. The cast album won the first Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and spent 245 weeks on the Billboard Magazinecharts. Among the memorable songs from the show are (Ya Got) Trouble, Seventy-Six Trombones, Till There Was You, Goodnight, Ladies and Gary, Indiana.

As part of ATC's Arizona Artist Initiative celebrating Arizona artists, the cast of 30 includes 15 Arizonans and three of Broadway's most renowned designers, scenic design Tony Award-winner Scott Pask* (The Pillowman, The Coast of Utopia, The Book of Mormon); Tucson native and pioneering sound designer Abe Jacob*, whose achievements include the groundbreaking rock-and-roll sound system for the 1969 Broadway hit Hair; and fellow Tucson native lighting designer Philip Rosenberg* (Pretty Woman: The Musical, The Elephant Man, Gentleman's Guide to Love an Murder)are part of an illustrious creative team. (Artists included in the Arizona Artists Initiative are noted with an asterisk.)

They will join costume designer Margaret Neville (American Conservatory Theater, The Guthrie Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater, The Public Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Musical Director Gregg Coffin (Arizona Theatre Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Shakespeare Santa Cruz) and choreographer Jaclyn Miller, (Reagle Music Theatre of Greater Boston, the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Gammage). Tanya Searle is the Stage Manager.

The full cast of The Music Man includes: Leslie Alexander, Adia Bell*, Chanel Bragg*, Amy Button, Kyle Coffman, Armen Dirtadian*, Ej Dohriing, Bill English, Brenda Jean Foley, Jay Garcia, Jules Grantham*, Carly Natalia Grossman*, John Hutton, Allison Jennings*, Damon Martinez*, Gabriella Martinez*, Jacob Martinez*, Kara Mikula, Conner Morley*, Manna Nichols, Peggy O'Connell, John Plumpis, Davvy Schiele, George Slotin, Lawrence E. Street, Cydney Trent*, Shaun-Avery Williams, Nathaniel Wiley*, Tatumn Zale and James Zannelli*.

Tickets for The Music Man are now on sale at www.arizonatheatre.org or at the Temple of Music & Art and Herberger Theater Center box offices. The Music Man will be followed by Two Trains Running, by August Wilson, directed by Lou Bellamy (Tucson: Jan. 19-Feb. 9; Phoenix: Feb. 14-March 3); American Mariachi, by José Cruz González (Tucson: March 9-30; Phoenix: April 4-21) and Things I Know to be True, by Andrew Bovell, directed by Mark Clements (Tucson: April 20-May 11; Phoenix: May 16-June 2).The 2018/2019 season is dedicated to Geri Silvi, ATC's long-time Box Office Manager in Phoenix. The season is sponsored by I. Michael and Beth Kasser. ATC has standardized curtain times in Tucson and Phoenix. Performance times will be: Tuesdays through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and all matinees will be held at 2:00 p.m. For more information about season-ticket subscription, go to www.arizonatheatre.org or call the box office in Tucson at (520) 622-2823 or in Phoenix at (602) 256-6995.