Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

CYT presents ‘Music Man’

Steve Christilaw Correspondent

With a cast of about 50 kids, you can’t really expect to see 76 trombones.

Or the 110 cornets.

Or the rows and rows of the finest virtuosos, the cream of ev’ry famous band.

Then again, Meredith Wilson only imagined that incredible, memorable sight.

But it’s good to be reminded by that vision – with the copper-bottom tympani in horse platoons, the double-bell euphoniums and big bassoons, the 50 mounted cannon in the battery thundering, thundering louder than before, clarinets of ev’ry size and trumpeters who’d improvise a full octave higher than the score.

It’s the beloved musical, “The Music Man” The Spokane Valley Christian Youth Theater opens their ambitious production Friday at the Adamson Auditorium in Trent Elementary School, 3303 N. Pines Road.

“It’s such an ambitious musical that we held off staging it for a long time,” director Nickle Van Wormer said. “We waited until we had the kind of cast that could pull it off.”

With a large cast, it’s taken some rotation to get the musical off the ground, Van Wormer said. The director, musical director Kim Papst and choreographer Vanessa Van Wormer each would alternate nights during the early stages of rehearsal. One night, the cast would work on the drama, one night the music, one night the dance.

“It takes some patience and some discipline on the part of the kids,” Van Wormer said. “But it is so much fun to work with kids who are all excited about something like this and see that moment when they really get it. It’s a great feeling to help make that come about.”

The Spokane Valley Christian Youth Theater is a drama program that includes classroom instruction in drama and acting as well as full-blown productions.

“I have never been involved with a group that is as supportive as this one is,” Van Wormer said. “The audition process is where a lot of anxiety comes in and it can be a scary process, but we go out of our way to make it as safe and comfortable for kids as we can.

“Our classroom work helps with that. We have our instructors help by being very frank about what will happen when they audition.”

This production features a couple of 14-year-old Valley actors taking their first stab at playing a lead role.

Jared Mola plays Professor Harold Hill, the role made famous by Robert Preston in the 1962 movie musical and by Matthew Broderick in the Broadway revival and 2003 television event. Anna Papst plays the beloved Marian, the librarian – brought to life by Shirley Jones in 1962 and by Kristin Chenoweth in 2003.

“These are really tough roles, but the kids have really done a great job with it,” Van Wormer said. “It’s exciting to see how well they’re doing with it.”