'The Music Man' comes to Othello
Courtesy photo<br> The Othello Theatre Guild is performing The Music Man over the next two weekends. The group began practice for the play in February.
OTHELLO — The Othello Theatre Guild is performing six shows of ‘The Music Man’ during the next two weekends.
The plays are slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, April 29-30 and May 1. A 2 p.m. matinee is scheduled for Saturday.
The performances are at McFarland Middle School.
Admission to the play is $8 for adults and $5 for youth under 13 years old. The matinee admission is one dollar less than regular prices.
The play is set in 1912, during the time of the traveling salesman, said Director Derek Gerber. The salesman comes to a small town in an attempt to swindle people into starting up a band, he explained.
As part of the salesman’s scam, he tries to convince the town that by starting a band, it will keep the boys out of trouble, Gerber said. Although the salesman sells the instruments and uniforms and pretends to understand music, he doesn’t know anything about music.
In all other towns he’s scammed in the past, he sold the equipment and skipped town with the money, he explained. But this town is different. The townspeople are a harder sell than usual and he begins to love the town and develops an interest in music.
During the musical play, guests will hear several familiar songs including “Marian the Librarian,” “Seventy-six Trombones” and “Till There Was You.”
Gerber said there are about 70 people in the play ranging from second-graders to adults. The group began rehearsing in February.
He said the show is popular and encourages people to watch.