There are three amazing younger performers in the show-Anjel Piñero as Zaneeta Shinn, Matthew August as Tommy Djilas, and Sophia Early as Amaryllis (Note: Early is the understudy for Sarah Anne Sillers). The latter is hysterical as she runs her ladies’ dance group. Other standouts in the cast were Florrie Bagel as Ethel Toffelmier, Marcellus’ girl, and Jay Frisby as Charlie Cowell (later Jacey Squires). Both are Deaf actors and bring a genuineness to the characters.Īndrew Morrill has just the right stuffiness as Mayor George Shinn and Amelia Hensley is perfectly self-absorbed and righteous as his wife, Eulalie Mackenknie Shinn. Paroo, Marian’s mother, and Christopher Tester plays her brother, Winthrop.

The supporting cast all give performances that help electrify the production.

(She does sing her songs.) Mitchell and Caverly have great chemistry, and when they sing “Till There Was You”-one with words and one in ASL- it was a great theatrical moment. Though not deaf, she also signs either with vocalizations or just by signing her lines. Mitchell also has a wonderfully trained voice. Of course, the two fall in love but their relationship has some surprises. Hill’s scheme also involves winning over the local librarian and piano teacher, Marian Paroo, played by Adelina Mitchell. They were exceptionally integrated in the number “You Got Trouble.” He has a marvelous voice and with Caverly’s signing, it makes the music more meaningful. All of the wonderful Willson songs are still here and handled in a very inventive way- the two performers are meticulously interwoven not only as characters, but vocally because Vaidya is the singing voice for Caverly. Caverly helps us visualize Hill’s ingenious ways of beguiling the townsfolk with the aid of his old buddy and former con artist, Marcellus (Vaidya). Hill is a con man who fools the small, Iowa town of River City into buying instruments and uniforms for a kid’s band to keep the children from the corrupting influences of playing pool. The placement of the supertitles did not affect the overall enjoyment of the show at all due to the wonderful performances. They can watch the interpreter, usually relegated to below the stage or to one side, or watch the performers. However, that may be how those who are dependent on sign language interpreters may feel when they go to a “normal” show. I wish they had been able to have the words closer to the performers to be able to do both. Because the supertitles are projected well over the performers’ heads, I had to make a choice of following the dialogue or watching the performances. There are times when ASL is used even when one of the actors is not Deaf. After awhile, you don’t care that you have to read the subtitles and you become absorbed in the story. It was like watching a great, foreign language film. It took only a few minutes to sit back and enjoy every moment of this production. Then I recalled seeing a Broadway production of the Theater of the Deaf in the 1970s. It’s a summertime must and perfect for all ages.Īt first, I was not sure how I would enjoy a musical where many in the cast would not be speaking but using American Sign Language (ASL). Even then, several of the cast members still wore masks. The show was finally able to begin its run on June 29, 2022.

Recently, Covid again impacted the original opening date. It took some time to work out the logistics and then there was the pandemic. Caverly, who is himself deaf, had seen a musical on Broadway that used hearing and deaf actors and suggested “The Music Man” in 2017. The idea was first conceived by James Caverly, who plays the lead role of Harold Hill, and Jason Loewith, Artistic Director of Olney Theatre Center. This production had many bumps in the road to its opening.

With lyrics, music, and book by Meredith Willson and story by Willson and Franklin Lacey, Olney’s current iteration is co-directed by Michael Baron and Sandra Mae Frank. “The Music Man” is considered by many to be the epitome of Americana in musical theatre. Adelina Mitchell (Marian Paroo) and James Caverly (Harold Hill) “The Music Man” at Olney Theatre Center.

The mudic man