THE MUSIC MAN
Meredith Wilson wrote the book, music and lyrics for this musical which debuted in 1957. It tells the story of a con man who comes to the midwest town of River City, Iowa to sell the good folks on the idea of forming a boy's band. Self-styled band leader, Harold Hill, uses his glib tongue and song and dance to beguile most of the citizens of the town into buying instruments, uniforms, and musical instruction books (at a well inflated price) from him. Along the way, he settles an old dispute between the members of the school board, starts a ladies dance group, and falls in love with the local librarian. This show is a fun romp through a slice of Americana which will warm your heart and have you smiling as you leave the theater. A number of memorable songs litter this show including SEVENTY-SIX TROMBONES, TROUBLE, GOODNIGHT MY SOMEONE, GARY INDIANA, and the beautiful and haunting TILL THERE WAS YOU.
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Professor Harold Hill
About the Costume
Harold Hill's first costume is a plaid 3 piece suit with a reversible jacket. The jacket turns inside out to become a band jacket.
About the Character
Professor Harold Hill (whose real name is Greg we find from Marcellus) is a salesman/con man who comes to River City, Iowa to make a buck and then take off.
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Professor Harold Hill
About the Costume
Harold Hill can have several changes of costume during the show. This is a bright plaid suit we used for his first change. This is a three piece suit with jacket, vest, pants, shirt and tie.
About the Character
Harold is a charlatan and a con man suing a glib tongue and good manners to cheat and swindle.
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Marion Paroo
About the Costume
Marion is wearing a striped skirt, highneck blouse, and a sea green jacket. There is a straw hat to match.
About the Character
Marion Paroo is the local librarian. The local gossip is that she is something of a "scarlet woman" with a shady past. When the local "rich miser" died, he left the library building to the city but left all the books to Marion.
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Marion Paroo
About the Costume
Marion is seen here wearing a blouse and skirt ensemble in light blue with lavender plaid skirt and trim.
About the Character
Marion Paroo is the town librarian and music teacher.
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Marion Paroo
About the Costume
Miss Paroo is seen here wearing her Ice Cream Sociable costume. This is a confection of pink satin, lace and flowered organza.
About the Character
By this point in the show, Marion realizes that she is in love with Harold Hill.
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Marcellus Washburn
About the Costume
Marcellus is wearing his "work clothes" when he meets up with Greg (Harold Hill). Dressed in a striped collarless shirt, canvas overalls, and a (faux) leather vest to accommodate his job at the livery stable.
About the Character
Marcellus is an old friend and confederate of Greg (Harold Hill).
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Marcellus Washburn
About the Costume
Marcellus is seen here in a bright plaid 3-piece suit which he wears for "The Schipoopi".
About the Character
Marcellus works at the livery stable in River City but is an old cohort of Greg (Harold Hill) in his nefarious schemes.
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Marcellus also has a straw boater hat. T
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Mayor George Shinn
About the Costume
Mayor Shinn is dressed in a conservative 3-piece suit with soft cravat.
About the Character
Mayor Shinn is a blustering, comic character who never seems able to say exactly what he wants nor is he ever able to actually perform the "Gettsyburg Address" though he repeatedly makes the attempt.
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Mayor Shinn also has a derby hat which rent in the range of $10 - $20. Mayor Shinn usually also has a second conservative suit.
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Eulalie Mackecnie Shinn
About the Costume
Eulalie is wearing a two piece suit consisting of burgundy brocade coat and skirt trimmed in black velour with a white blouse, high button shoes and matching hat.
About the Character
Eulalie Mackecnie Shinn is the wife of the mayor of River City and is the self appointed queen of fashion, keeper of morals, and general busy body extraordinaire.
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Eulalie has a second dress which is green and gold Empire style with a matching hat. Dress rents for $60. Hat rents for $35.
Also available...Statue of Liberty Costume which rents for $50. Indian headdress $25 - $75 rental. Beaded chestplate $25 rental.
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Mrs. Paroo
About the Costume
Mrs. Paroo is wearing a simple dark flower pattern period dress with long apron and high button shoes.
About the Character
Mrs. Paroo is the widowed mother of Marion and Winthrop.
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Character wigs are available for rental or purchase.
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Winthrop Paroo
About the Costume
Winthrop is wearing a collarless shirt, vest, knickers, argyle socks and a newsboy cap.
About the Character
Winthrop Paroo is the brother of Marion Paroo. He is shy and withdrawn because he speaks with a lisp.
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School Board Members / Quartet
About the Costume
The school board members are dressed in period suits.
About the Character
These four men for the "barbershop quartet" in this show. Eqart Dunlop, Olin Britt, Oliver Hix, and Jacey Squires are the members of the school board and have not agreed on anything in 15 years.
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School Board Members / Quartet
About the Costume
As they form a singing quartet, these men are dressed in matching costumes. In this case, we dressed them in matching grey suits with off white trim. Each has a boater hat with matching band.
About the Character
The members of the school board are brought together by Harold Hill into a singing quartet. It was a pretty good trick as they had not gotten along for many years.
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Pickalittle Ladies
About the Costume
The Pickalittle Ladies are dressed in finery. Each has a coordinated outfit consisting of jacket (or vest), blouse, skirt, high button shoes and matching hat.
About the Character
The Pickalittle Ladies are the group of ladies who are the friends of Eulalie Shinn. They follow Eulalie and are her cheering squad in all her endeavors.
Pricing
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Each of the ladies has a either a second jacket or vest that matches her costume for a change.
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Lady's Auxillary of the Classic Dance
About the Costume
Here we see the Lady's Auxiliary of the Classic Dance (Pickalittle Ladies) in their rehearsal outfits which consist of sailor tops with oversize neck bows and black bloomers.
About the Character
The Lady's Auxiliary of the Classic dance is rehearsing their Grecian Urn number for the Ice Cream Sociable.
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Lady's Auxillary of the Classic Dance
About the Costume
Here we see our ladies in their costumes performing their Grecian Urn Tableaus. Costumes consist of Greek dresses with colored drapes.
About the Character
The Ladies have formed a dance troop under the leadership and choreography of Eulalie Mackecnie Shinn.
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Tommy Djilas
About the Costume
Tommy is wearing a collarless shirt, pants and suspenders. Additionally he has a vest to add a change to his outfit.
About the Character
Tommy Djilas is considered a bad boy and troublemaker by many folks in town because he lives on the wrong side of the tracks. He is also the boyfriend of the mayor's eldest daughter Zaneeta...a fact that does not sit well with the mayor.
Pricing
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Tommy also can have changes of shirt, vest, etc.
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Zaneeta Shinn
About the Costume
Zaneeta is wearing a simple skirt and blouse with high button shoes.
About the Character
Zaneeta Shinn is Mayor Shinn's eldest daughter who is dating Tommy Djilas...not to her father's liking.
Pricing
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Charlie Cowell
About the Costume
Salesman Cowell is wearing a 3-piece Norfolk suit in black and white plaid fabric with a derby.
About the Character
Charlie Cowell is a traveling anvil salesman who has a "bone to pick" with Professor Harold Hill. It seems that Harold's selling methods have made it nearly impossible for other salesmen to work their territory.
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Constable Locke
About the Costume
The Constable is dressed in a simple suit with trim. He also has a hat not shown in this scene.
About the Character
The Constable is the local representative of the law.
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Amaryllis
About the Costume
Amaryllis is dressed in a bright flower pattern pinafore dress with white blouse and knee high white socks.
About the Character
Amaryllis is a piano student of Marion Paroo and schoolmate of her brother Winthrop.
Pricing
Costumes of this type rent in the range of $25 - $35.
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Teens
About the Costume
The teen girls are dressed in dropwaist dresses or skirts with blouses. Teen boys are wearing collarless shirts, pants, and vests.
About the Character
The younger generation of River City citizens.
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Suspenders available for rent and for purchase.
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Children
About the Costume
Young girls are dressed in a variety of styles...some dropwaist dresses, some skirts and blouses, some sailor style dresses. Boys are dressed in shirts, vests, and knickers.
About the Character
These are the youngest citizens of River City.
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Girls
About the Costume
These are simple tabbbards with fringe and trim to represent Indian costumes. These drop over the costumes the girls are already wearing and tie around the waist.
About the Character
These young girls are called upon at a moments notice to perform at a town gathering.
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Indian headbands available for rental with these costumes.
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Band Members
About the Costume
These band uniform consist of jacket with gold lanyard, pants, and hat.
About the Character
These are the young men whom Harold Hill has taught to play by the "think method". Probably because Harold Hill never really worried about sizes, the uniforms are ill fitting.
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(YA GOT) TROUBLE
About the Costume
Variety of costumes.
About the Character
Townspeople and Harold Hill
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SEVENTY-SIX TROMBONES
About the Costume
Harold Hill in reversible Jacket costume...children in variety of costumes.
About the Character
Harold sings the rousing SEVENTY-SIX TROMBONES which makes having a boys band seem like a good idea to the town.
Pricing
Various
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PICKALITTLE, TALK A LITTLE
About the Costume
The ladies of River City in their finery
About the Character
The ladies sing PICKALITTLE, TALK A LITTLE which is all the gossip abbout Marion Paroo.
Pricing
Various
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SHIPOOPI
About the Costume
Variety of daytime clothing as Marcellus and Harold teach the townsffolk to dance the SHIPOOPI a new dance craze.
About the Character
Townspeople learning a new dance.
Pricing
Various
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GARY INDIANA
About the Costume
Coming soon
About the Character
Winthrop sings "GARY, INDIANA" a song Harold has taught him which has very few "S" sounds in it. Marion and Mrs. Paroo join him.
Pricing
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TILL THERE WAS YOU
About the Costume
Marion is wearing her dress for the Ice Cream Sociable. It is a confection of pale pink satin, lace and blue and pink flowered organza.
About the Character
Marion has agreed to meet Harold just prior to the ice cream sociable at the footbridge which is a notorious lover's tristing spot in River City.
Pricing
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