Cast members of the national touring company performing “The Music Man” stopped at Music Man Square and the Meredith Willson Boyhood Home on Wednesday prior to their final performance of the Mason City native’s musical at North Iowa Area Community College.
Elizabeth D’Aiuto plays Marian the Librarian and says experiencing Willson’s hometown has been an exceptional experience.
“Just walking around here it’s just cool to see all the old pictures of him, all the old music. I’m just so excited to be here,” D’Aiuto says. “I know that this show is a valentine to his hometown, so it feels really, really special to do the show in his hometown. It feels really like a dream to come true to do this here.”
Savannah Stevenson, who plays Mrs. Paroo, says seeing Music Man Square in person allowed the cast to get an even better understanding of the musical.
“Oh, my gosh, it’s fantastic, and I think we all very much appreciate you opening up this space and allowing us to come here for the context it gives us for the show,” Stevenson says. “As actors, we all want to tell the story as authentically and clearly as possible, and the context this provides and being in this town provides, seeing the boyhood home, will help us do that all the better.”
Patrick Blashill plays Mayor Shinn and says after weeks of being on the road, it was good to be in the real River City with the musical.
“We’ve been so in depth with this story for such a long time in doing that, and now it’s like, ‘Oh, this is actually real’,” Blashill says. “We know that, but seeing it in front of us and all of this, this is really amazing for us.”
The Music Man tour is now headed to Lincoln, Nebraska, but it will be back in Iowa when it plays at the Des Moines Civic Center March 20th through the 22nd, and Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City March 27th through the 29th.
(By Bob Fisher, KGLO, Mason City)