THE MUSIC MAN, JR
THE STORY
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A traveling salesman, Harold Hill, tries his luck in a small
Iowa town in 1912 selling marching band instruments and
promising to start a kids band in the town, then tries to leave
town with the collected money before anyone finds out he
knows nothing about music or starting a band.
The librarian and piano teacher, Marian Paroo, sees through
him, but when Hill helps her younger brother overcome his
fear of social interactions due to his lisp, Marian begins to
fall in love with Harold. Harold, in turn falling for Marian, risks
being caught to win her.
A more detailed version of the story can be found at:
http://www.mtishows.com/show_detail.asp?showid=00022
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WHY I CHOSE THIS MUSICAL
There are A LOT of characters
 The chorus is broken up into adults, teenagers
and kids which have a lot of stage time and
MANY solos
 This is a very well known musical with a fun
storyline, songs and dances
 Once everyone is well acquainted with the
musical, I think everyone involved will love it!
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THE CHARACTERS
Harold Hill- The leading male role who is
charismatic and charming salesman. (High G)
 Marian Paroo- The role of Marian is a different
twist on the traditional leading lady. The character
progresses greatly during the show, starting as an
uptight librarian and transforming into a beautiful
and trusting young woman. Marian must have a
good voice, be an excellent actor, and be able to
move well. She must also have an air of
confidence that draws Harold and your audience
to her. (High G)
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THE CHARACTERS
Mrs. Paroo- Marian’s mother, the conscience of
River City. She is a great mother, stands up for
what she believes in, and gently pushes Marian to
think of her future. The role requires an actress
who can sing and act. (High E-flat)
 Winthrop Paroo- should appear to be young and he
should be a good actor. Winthrop also needs to be
able to affect a believable lisp. Winthrop has to
transform from a shy child to an outspoken child
who not only sings but dances!
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THE CHARACTERS
Marcellus Washburn- This classic sidekick to
Harold has been immortalized by comedic greats
like Buddy Hacket. Marcellus' big number is
Shipoopi so the character has to act well, sing
reasonably well and be able to dance. (High D-flat)
 Charlie Cowell- Tries to expose Hill as being a con
artist. Charlie Cowell is one of the premium actingonly roles in The Music Man Junior. A strong actor
with a good loud voice who is a bit of a ham and
likes being on the stage will make a great Charlie.
(Non Singing)
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THE CHARACTERS
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Mayor Shinn- The actor playing Mayor Shinn certainly
needs a good sense of comic timing, but should be able
to perform the role very seriously. This is elemental in
creating the humor of The Music Man, which is based in
reality. Mayor Shinn does not have to sing or dance, but
he is responsible for a great deal of the pacing and line
pick up in the show. (Non Singing)
Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn- Mayor Shinn’s wife. It's a role
for a great comic actress. If Eulalie takes herself
seriously your audience will find her hysterical. Eulalie
does have some singing, and some dancing or at least
posing. (High D)
THE CHARACTERS
Zaneeta Shinn- Mayor Shinn’s oldest daughter.
Zaneeta should be a good dancer. The role is often
given dance features in both 76 trombones and
Shipoopi. She gets to deliver the classic "Ye gads"
line! (Non Singing)
 Gracie Shinn- Gracie is Zaneeta's little sister,
another daughter of the Mayor. The role has
dialogue.
 Tommy Djilas- Tommy is the teen heartthrob in the
show and should be able to act and dance.
Tommy's love interest is Zaneeta. (Non Singing)
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THE CHARACTERS
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The Quartet- These are four guys who can hold their own vocal parts
strongly and worry about the acting later. Olin is the lowest voice or
the bass, Oliver the next lowest or baritone, Ewart is the second
highest voice or the Tenor, and Jacey the highest voice or tenor.
Alama Hix, Maude Dunlop, Mrs. Squires- These three characters are
the core of the Pickalittle ladies, requiring girls with strong voices and
a good sense of comedy. Alma is married to Oliver, Mrs. Squires is
married to Jacey and Maud is married to Ewart. (High D)
Ethel Toffelmier- Ethel is Marcellus's girlfriend. She's described by
Marcellus as "a nice comfortable girl and the bosses' niece." Ethel
has some acting, some singing, and some dancing. Ethel is also one
of the solo Pickalittle ladies. (High D)
THE CHARACTERS
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Amaryllis- Amaryllis is the slightly bratty girl who studies
piano with Marian. Amaryllis should be a good actor, and
roughly the same size as Winthrop and Gracie. Just who
are Amaryllis' parents is one of the great mysteries of
The Music Man and something for you to decide. (Non
Singing)
Constable Locke- The Constable is a quietly wise man
who sees through Harold, but doesn't seem to mind.
(Non Singing)
Train Conductor- The conductor has the first line in the
show, so make sure you are loud and energetic! (Non
Singing)
THE CHARACTERS
Townspeople- The concerned adults of the
town, most falling for Hill’s tricks.
 Salesmen- Opening scene on the train
 Kids and Teenagers- The kids of the
townspeople that are expecting instruments
and joining a marching band
 These are the choruses with a lot of lines/solos
scattered throughout the whole musical
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AUDITIONS
AUDITION INFORMATION
Auditions will be held at the end of January
 I will have audition packets available when we
get back from Christmas break
 If you would like to start preparing over break,
please go to:
http://www.broadwayjr.com/audition/auditionli
st.asp?ID=000223
 You must prepare a Script- (speaking lines)
 You must prepare a Score- (singing)
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AUDITION INFORMATION
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I would like everyone to choose ONE character to audition with
(singing character or Non singing character) from the list above
Choose the character you feel you would be best at and prepare the
Script which can be found on the website under the script for your
chosen character
If you are interested only in a chorus part (townspeople, salesmen,
teenagers and kids), you will still need to choose a character script to
audition with but will only be placed in the choruses
All girls will prepare the songs “Til There Was You” and “Pick-a-Little”
(these can be found on the website under the Score for Marian Paroo
and Eulalie Shinn-please sing all voice parts)
All boys will prepare the songs “76 Trombones” and “Shipoopi” (these
can be found on the website under the Score for Harold Hill and
Marcellus Washburn-please sing all voice parts)
MOVIES
To better prepare yourself for the musical, there
are two movie versions you can watch:
 The Music Man released in 1962 starring Robert
Preston and Shirley Jones
 The Music Man released in 2003 starring Matthew
Broderick, Kristen Chenoweth and Molly Shannon
 I am planning to show the movie one day after
school as soon as we get back from break (for
anyone who is planning on auditioning for the
musical only) as a way to learn about the musical
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