Break Out Your Trombones!
Performance Riverside brings THE MUSIC MAN to River City!

Performance Riverside's 2005-2006 Season marches on with Meredith Willson's slice of Americana, The Music Man, playing at Riverside Community College's Landis Performing Arts Center Friday, February 10 through Sunday, February 19. Branch Woodman will direct and choreograph with Allen Everman as Musical Director.

Pure Iowa corn with wonderful music, engaging characters, and an uplifting story, The Music Man follows brash, fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boy's band he vows to organize, despite the fact he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. When he falls for Marian the librarian, he is won over by the charms of small-town simplicity and homespun virtue, and transformed into respectable citizen by curtain's fall. In 1958, The Music Man won eight Tony awards, including one for Best Musical, beating West Side Story. The film with Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, and Ron Howard is regarded as one of the best Hollywood musicals ever produced.

Branch Woodman has appeared at Performance Riverside in Crazy for You, Cyrano De Bergerac, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Twice!), Stages, Prospero, and Into the Woods, and has directed and choreographed several Performance Riverside productions. In addition to a Broadway career that started with his debut in Crazy for You, his actor/director/choreographer/musical director credits include dozens of local, regional, and national tour productions.

As well as being an accomplished musical director and pianist, Allen Everman has appeared in Performance Riverside’s productions of Ragtime and 1776. He also won dual Inland Theatre Awards as Musical Director and Ensemble member in Riverside Community Players' 2004 production of Side by Side by Sondheim.

The Landis Performing Arts Center is located on the Riverside City College campus at 4800 Magnolia Avenue. Performances for The Music Man are on February 10th, 11th, 17th, and 18th at 8pm, February 11th, 12th, 18th, and 19th at 2pm, and February 19th at 7pm. Tickets are $35, $30, $25, and $20, and can be purchased through the Landis Box Office, 951-222-8100. Discounted weekday performance tickets for may be obtained for school and senior groups by calling 951-222-8372.