The Music Man Starring Peter Scolari to Open at the Ogunquit Playhouse

There's Trouble in River City... Yes, the critically acclaimed Broadway classic, The Music Man marches onto the Ogunquit Playhouse stage July 20 through August 20. Starring Emmy Award winner Peter Scolari as Harold Hill, Meredith Willson's all-American favorite follows the fast-talking traveling salesman as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a town band he vows to organize - this despite the fact he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef! Sharing the stage with an all-star cast as the town marching band will be 2 groups of 30 children selected from local casting calls; each group will appear in different performances of the Music Man. This Golden Era favorite features the award winning songs that have long become American standards: "76 Trombones," "Till there Was You" and "Trouble."

"We've waited years to produce one of the most glorious American Musical masterpieces on The Playhouse stage at perfect time - mid-summer. We are thrilled to bring one of the nation's top comedic actors, Peter Scolari and a superb hand-picked cast for our production," staTed Bradford T. Kenney, Executive Artistic Director.

Peter Scolari, the television, film and stage actor is best known for his roles in the television shows "Honey I Shrunk the Kids: the TV Show," "Bosom Buddies" with Tom Hanks and "Newhart," for which he was nominated for three Emmy's, and awarded one for his role as Henry Desmond. In addition, Peter has appeared in over three hundred television programs including "The West Wing," "ER," "Family Ties," "The Drew Carey Show," "The Nanny," "King of Queens," "Reba," "Ally McBeal," and the Emmy Award winning Mini-Series and Telefilms, "From The Earth to the Moon, for HBO, "The Ryan White Story" and "Perfect Harmony." Feature films include "The Polar Express," "That Thing You Do" and the newly released "Larry Crowne." He was the youngest founding member of New York City's celebrated Colonnades Theater in the 1970s. Recent Broadway credits include Cole Porter's Out of This World, Ziegfeld's Follies of 1937, both at New York's acclaimed City Center Encores series, as well as Hairspray and Sly Fox.
Co-starring as Marian is Julia Burrows who is making her Ogunquit Playhouse debut in The Music Man. Julia has performed various roles in many regional theatres throughout the U.S including, Garry Marshall's Happy Days at Paper Mill Playhouse and at Goodspeed Opera House, Company at L.A.'s Reprise! and Les Miserables at Northern Stage.
Helming the Ogunquit Playhouse production is Ray Roderick who was the Associate Director for the Broadway Revival of the Music Man, as well as the Director for the National Tour for three years. Among his many credits Mr. Roderick adapted the book for and directed the Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang National Tour, worked as the Associate Director for the Madison Square Garden production of A Christmas Carol and was the co-writer,director and choreographer for Irving Berlin's I Love a Piano 3-year National Tour, as well as the writer/director for ‘S Wonderful the New Gershwin Musical's National Tour. His many Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre credits include Lamour the Merrier, The Story Goes On, My One and Only, Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change!

Choreography for The Music Man will be under the skillful guidance of song and dance man Jeffry Denman, who recently received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for choreography for the Off-Broadway production of YANK!, which he is currently working with director David Cromer to transfer to Broadway. In addition he has choreographed Naked Boys Singing!, Dancing in the Dark and has worked as the Director and/or Choreographer for over a dozen Broadway By The Year concerts at the Town Hall in New York City. As an actor Denman made his Broadway debut in the 1994 revival of How ToSucceed in Business... starring Matthew Broderick. His other Broadway credits include the final cast of Cats, the original cast of White Christmas and the original cast of Mel Brooks' The Producers. He was last seen in Ogunquit as Sir Lancelot in the 2010 production of Spamalot and in 2007 as Bobby Childs in Crazy for You.
The Ogunquit Playhouse season continues with the feel-good musical comedy Legally Blonde the Musical, on stage August 24 through September 17 with our heroine Elle, her Chihuahua, Bruiser and the bull-dog-toting-hairdresser Paulette, played by none other than Emmy-Award-winning, Playhouse favorite Sally Struthers; then the fall ushers in one of the most stunning Broadway blockbusters of all time, Miss Saigon, an epic love story that will touch your heart and haunt your memory, on stage September 21 through October 23.

The Ogunquit Playhouse is America's Foremost Summer Theatre, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, producing the finest Broadway musicals each season, with performances Tuesday through Sunday, through October 23, 2011. For a complete list of show times, pricing and more information about the season, visit www.ogunquitplayhouse.org. Tickets on-line or by calling 800-982-2787, for Subscriptions, Flex-Passes and Gift Certificates call the box office at 207-646-5511.

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