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[Audio] Playhouse in the Park's "The Music Man" One of Their Largest Shows

Matt Markgraf, WKMS

The Music Man is a staple musical of the American stage, perhaps best known for the song "76 Trombones." Con-man Professor Harold Hill arrives in River City, Iowa and tries to convince them to make a boys band, buying musical instruments. Things get turned around when he falls in love with librarian Marian Perue. On Sounds Good, Tracy Ross speaks with Jill Herndon (who plays Eulalie MaCkechnie Shinn, the mayor's wife) and director Stephen Keene about the performance opening this week at Playhouse in the Park. 

Jill Herndon says she's always wanted to do musical theatre but never had enough time to devote to a production. Now that her kids are older, she says, she decided to commit some time and says she's had a blast embracing her bold and crazy character.

Director Stephen Keene says The Music Man was one of his first experiences with musical theatre 20 years ago in Louisville. He fell in love with the play then and being able to tell the story from his perspective has been great. The cast has been fun to work with, he says, and is comprised of 53 actors - one of their largest shows ever produced at Playhouse in the Park. He found himself asking, "How are we going to get these 53 people all on stage at the right time and make it work?"

The Music Man opens Thursday, December 10 and runs through December 20.

Tickets at Playhouse in the Park's website

More at Playhouse in the Park's Facebook page

Tracy started working for WKMS in 1994 while attending Murray State University. After receiving his Bachelors and Masters degrees from MSU he was hired as Operations/Web/Sports Director in 2000. Tracy hosted All Things Considered from 2004-2012 and has served as host/producer of several music shows including Cafe Jazz, and Jazz Horizons. In 2001, Tracy revived Beyond The Edge, a legacy alternative music program that had been on hiatus for several years. Tracy was named Program Director in 2011 and created the midday music and conversation program Sounds Good in 2012 which he hosts Monday-Thursday. Tracy lives in Murray with his wife, son and daughter.
Matt Markgraf joined the WKMS team as a student in January 2007. He's served in a variety of roles over the years: as News Director March 2016-September 2019 and previously as the New Media & Promotions Coordinator beginning in 2011. Prior to that, he was a graduate and undergraduate assistant. He is currently the host of the international music show Imported on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.
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