Way Off Broadway Opens THE MUSIC MAN Tonight, 9/7

Meredith Willson's The Music Man will play the Frederick City venue beginning tonight, September 7th.

An affectionate ode to Smalltown, U.S.A. of a bygone era, Meredith Willson's The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band he vows to organize - this despite the fact he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by the fall of the curtain.

A Broadway classic and one of the most beloved shows of all time, The Music Man first opened December 19, 1957 at New York's Majestic Theatre, where it ran until October 22, 1960. Two days later, the show re-opened after a transfer to the Broadway Theatre, running until the production finally took its last bow on April 15, 1961. When the show closed, it had run for 1,375 performances. With the exception of a special limited engagement, starring Dick Van Dyke, produced by City Center June 5 - 22, 1980, it wasn't until the year 2000, that Harold Hill returned to the Great White Way in a full-scale revival.

The original production garnered nine Tony Award nominations, winning six, including Best Featured Actor (David Burns), Best Featured Actress (Barbara Cook), Best Actor (Preston), and Best Musical.

To this day, stage and film star Robert Preston is indelibly linked to Harold Hill, have played him in the original Broadway production and the 1962 motion picture opposite Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The 2000 revival cast was led by Craig Bierko, making his Broadway debut; while a 2003 made-for-television movie starred Matthew Broderick.

Way Off Broadway's production is led by stage veteran and area favorite Steve Steele and introduces Jenna Milkewicz as Marian Paroo. Also in the cast are Jessica Billones, Chelsea Bondarenko, Sam Buchanan, Matthew Crawford, Suzanna Fox, Dylan Gibbs, Michael Iacone, Ryan Patrick Kane, Kelsey Keza, Kourtney Keza, Lily Kigin, A.P. Kopec, David I. Marcus, Gus Glatzel, Justin Mohay, Kat Moorman, Shawn Nakia, Julia Pfanstiehl, Rachel Silvert, Jordan B. Stocksdale, Luke Szukalski, Sarah Szukalski, Denise Wade, and Joseph Waeyaert.

The Music Man has a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. Way Off Broadway's production runs from September 7 – November 5, 2012 and is directed by Bill Kiska, with choreography by Dee Buchanan and music direction by Jordan B. Stocksdale.

Performances are every Friday and Saturday evening, with matinees on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sunday of each month. Tickets on a Friday or Sunday are $42, and $46 for Saturdays.

Opening Night, tonight, September 7th, has a special preview price of $38 for dinner and the show. There is also a special Twilight Show Only Performance scheduled for Sunday, October 28th when tickets will be $25 per person.

For additional information about any of Way Off Broadway's productions or events visit www.wayoffbroadway.com. Or, to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at (301) 662-6600.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has been a leader in the region's performing arts community since it first opened in 1995. Under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, Way Off Broadway has produced such productions as A Funny Thing . . . Forum, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Oklahoma!, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Odd Couple, A Chorus Line, Lend Me a Tenor, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Evita, Cats, The Full Monty, South Pacific, and Hairspray, as well as the regional and/or area premieres of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl - The Musical, Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, the musical comedy The Wedding Singer, Mel Brooks' The Producers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and The Drowsy Chaperone. Located along Route 40 West, the Golden Mile in Frederick, the theatre also produces a one-of-a-kind children's lunch theatre, as well as a number of special events throughout the year.