Woodhull's Music Man, Jr. Rocks
This year's Woodhull Intermediate School drama club production of "The Music Man, Jr." was a runaway hit as dozens of students sang, danced and acted their way into the hearts of hundreds of parents and family members who turned out to see the performances.
Teachers Allison VonVange (overall theatre director), Pamela Jacovina (musical director) and Todd Hiscox (art, stage and scenery director) guided students along the way and helped produce a memorable show that will be hard to top in future years.
Huntington High School sophomore Hannah Pipolo, no stranger to the intermediate school stage, assisted with the production. The group of directors kept everyone on task and firmly focused during rehearsals and behind the scenes preparations.
The cast and crew put in dozens of hours of work, smoothing out the rough edges and attending to even the smallest of details. All of these people helped keep the play running smoothly. Woodhull's drama club put on an amazing seven performances of the show, including one for residents of the Carillon Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Actors Jordan Biener and Sean Paton, who both performed in the show, recently took time to summarize the production: "'The Music Man, Jr.' is about a con-man whose name is Professor Harold Hill, played by Sean Paton. He is trying to rob the River City citizens by tricking them into forming a boys' band so he can make some money. The only thing in his way was the librarian and music teacher of River City, Marion Parroo, played by Molly Warren. There was another person who got in his way, the mayor of River City, Mayor George Shinn, played by Jack Glicker. Mr. Shinn wanted Professor Hill's teaching credentials before he could start the band. In the end, Professor Harold Hill got caught being a con-man and was put up for punishment by the town. Everyone stood up for Harold Hill though and it was a happy ending!"
The cast and crew wore toothy smiles after each performance and they enjoyed the hearty congratulations that followed. Ms. Biener and Mr. Paton said the group rehearsed twice a week for 90 minutes per session. "The practices were split between practicing lines and rehearsing songs and dances," they said. "It was fun and exciting and we encourage everyone to try-out and participate in a play."