It took the cast of Cornerstone Community Theater fewer than three weeks to rehearse The Music Man Jr.
That’s according to director Michealle Hoag at Tuesday’s dress rehearsal of Meredith Wilson musical featuring 45 young local performers.
Opening night for The Music Man Jr. is 7 o’clock Friday at 17900 Comconex Rd. in Manteca.
General admission is $15 while preferred seating is $20. Tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite, www.cornerstonemanteca.com/theater or by calling the box office at 209.825.1220.
There will also be two performances on Saturday (2 p.m., 7 p.m.) and one on Sunday (4 p.m.).
The Music Man Jr. stars Caeden Hagstrom as the con man Harold Hill. His character poses as a boys’ band organizer and leader in a small midwestern town of River City.
In order to get into his character, Hagstrom, who will be a senior at Big Valley Christian High in Modesto, watched Hugh Jackman in the recent adaptation of the musical along with the original movie performance from the 1960s.
“I thought the songs were super,” said Hagstrom, who has been performing in plays since he was in fifth grade.
Hailey Hoy, who is an incoming junior at Ripon High, plays the prim librarian Marian Paroo. “I had to work on speaking properly,” she said in getting into the role of her character.
This is Hoy’s second time performing in a Cornerstone Community Theater production.
Koa Walsh as Winthrop had to work on his lisp. He attends school in Turlock and has performed in several small productions over the years.
This production of the Cornerstone Community Theater, in addition, includes an elaborate set (construction and painting by Jerry and Karen Bradford, and Elijah Bradford) and costume (coordinator Becca Larsen and crew).
Hoag is helped out by a large behind-the-scenes team consisting of assistant director Bailey Dokoozlian-Harding, vocal director Kristen Scott, assistant vocal director Joseph Rykert, choreographer Atlantah Flora, technical director Emilie Reese, and special effects director Matthew Larsen, to name a few.
