It began, like most good things, with snacks. Participating students filed into the Huss Center for Performing Arts. Following their long days, they spent the 15 minutes before rehearsal began in the hallway behind the stage, snacking on the daily options: popcorn, M&Ms or something else, hidden in the wooden cabinet along the wall.
Once the clock hit 3:15 p.m., it was time for vocal warm-ups. Choir director Tim Kraack, who directed music for “The Music Man,” led from the pit. Above him, assembled students sang into the auditorium about munching M&Ms and “Olivia Rodrigo” (the name, not the artist’s discography). As the cast concluded their singing, Jon Ferguson, the upper school interim director of “The Music Man,” instructed the cast to begin from the top of the first act.
“We’re just focusing on running out the show as much as we can … If something doesn’t go well in the run-through, we’ll go through that and make sure we all understand what we’re supposed to be doing,” junior Eva Johnson, who played Mrs. Paroo, said.
“The Music Man,” which Ferguson described as a “big, classic musical,” had many moving elements. “On the face of it… it’s a pretty simple story. But the scenes are big … There’s a lot of people moving,” he said. “There’s also delicate, intricate, emotional moments.” Those were moments that the production team, cast and crew worked through by having discussions and participating in focused scene work.
Part of the struggle that arose when crafting a show as grand as ‘The Music Man’ was the level of what cast members could pursue with their ever-busy academic schedules. “There’s always the question of keeping up with your homework … making sure that you’re ready for your next rehearsal or your next class,” assistant director Akie Kutsunai said. In order to combat the struggle, the production team created the role of understudies, something new to upper school performances.
At rehearsals, actors had varying attendance rates, meaning that the usage of understudies varied in tandem. Sophomore Elliot Gilats, along with his role as a member of the ensemble, served as an understudy for the character of Tommy Djilas. “Any time that El [Nelson], the person who plays Tommy, is called, I would also be called to be there,” he said.
“I’m there either to fill-in, … or just to learn that part.”
No matter what style “The Music Man” is produced in, the show itself is another matter to address. The show, written by Meredith Willson, was quite popular when it hit Broadway in 1957, but is now somewhat outdated. Kutsunai discussed how the issue was combatted. “We’ve also had some pretty frank discussions with the whole cast and crew about ways in which the show thinks about not just the question of misogyny and sexism but also … the idea of outsiders,” they said.
In a way, rehearsals don’t really end. The entire cast and crew continue to work, think and craft this show, even outside of rehearsals. “After every rehearsal I’m thinking about what I could do differently tomorrow, or … what we’re going to do tomorrow,” Johnson said.
As students shuffle out from Huss, the curtain falls, but “The Music Man” will continue on in the minds of every person who attended.
