The Music Man!

In an attempt to recreate the great theatre experience Alex & I had together in A Christmas Story back in 2001, Eric & I decided to audition for PALT/Lamar Theatre's joint summer musical production of The Music Man, set to open in July. A Christmas Story gave Alex & I some very special memories of time spent together as father & son, so I went into the audition expecting The Music Man to do the same for me and Eric. What I didn't expect, however, was for each of us to land such great roles!

Eric was determined to get the part of Winthrop, and he did. You may remember a little Ron Howard playing the part of the little boy with the lisp in the 1962 film. Eric read and re-read for the part, each time working hard to improve over the last attempt and showing anger with himself for any perceived slip-ups. I was very impressed with his determination. He has a great lisp, practically spitting out his S's all over the director!

Myself, I was content with a chorus role just to be in the show with Eric. I told them as much, but wound up winning a coveted spot as a member of the quartet! My buddy Rich Kilhken had come along to the audition with me to offer his support to the director as a vocal coach for the quartet. They were glad to have him, and I know his input helped win my spot since he was already familiar with my voice and blend.

As a result of our success, we are now looking at a very busy summer. Rehearsals for Eric will be 6 days a week while mine will be less for the show itself, but plenty additional rehearsals specific for the quartet. Just as A Christmas Story dominated the Christmas season of 2001, The Music Man will dominate the summer of 2008. I'm confident it will be worth it.