Torrington High School’s production of The Music Man brought the classic Broadway musical to life with energy, humor, and impressive talent. The story follows Harold Hill, a con man pretending to be a band leader who sells instruments to the children of a small town with no intention of teaching them, hoping instead to scam the families out of their money.
The THS production started off very strong. The lighting, sound, and stage design were all on point, but once the band began playing, the performance became even more impressive. Having heard the band perform before, this production showcased them at another level entirely. As the show continued, the set design stood out as well. The scene changes were smooth, and whoever was responsible for painting the sets did a spectacular job. The designs fit the theme of the show perfectly, making the entire production visually engaging and immersive.
Leading performances by Nathan Pepler as Harold Hill and Olivia Beauregard as Marian Paroo captivated audiences throughout the production. Pepler brought charisma and humor to the role of Harold Hill, while Beauregard delivered a heartfelt and powerful performance as Marian. Beauregard earned a Halo nomination for her portrayal of the librarian.
Luke Le also stood out as Mayor Shinn, bringing comedic timing and personality to the role, while Anthony Ferro impressed audiences as Marcellus Washburn with his lively stage presence and strong performance. Together, the cast created a lively and heartfelt show that had audiences smiling, laughing, and fully engaged from beginning to end.
Ethel Tofflemire, played by Natalie Blanco, was asked how she felt the show went and responded, “For me, in my humble opinion, it went great. I know we had mic issues, but it was still a good performance. We could have improved on the group songs rather than the individual songs.”
I agree that the actors performed very well. I attended on a night when the microphones did not work perfectly, but the cast made it work. They projected their voices enough that I could still hear clearly from the back of the auditorium, even with some younger cast members on stage. The performers were well rehearsed, followed the choreography smoothly, and had little to no slip-ups. If mistakes did happen, the actors improvised naturally and stayed in character. Overall, it was a ten-out-of-ten show.
A special thank you and congratulations go to director Veronica Gelormino, music director Andrew Skinner, technical director Tara Minnerly, and choreographer Sybil Chamberlin for their leadership and commitment to creating such a high-quality theatrical experience for both students and the community. We also applaud the student leadership team, including Amiya Bennet, Emma Hardwick, Rowan VonRichthofen, and Anthony Ferro, whose hard work and collaboration helped make the production such a success.
