Musical Theater Enters New Stage on Marco

There won’t literally be “seventy six trombones” leading a big parade or “a hundred and ten cornets close at hand.” But what there will be soon is a Marco Island run of the musical that features those lyrics: “The Music Man.” 

An uber-popular favorite since its late fifties debut, Meredith Willson’s play about traveling con man Harold Hill and his escapades in River City will be presented at the Arts Center Theatre, October 18 through October 21.

The production will be notable for several reasons. One of them is the fact it may well be a first for the island: the staging of a “full-blown” musical, one that’s presented in its complete form. Also noteworthy is the fact the production stars Marco Islander Charlie Blum. He’s a board member for the Marco Island Center for the Arts, which brought the theater under its umbrella in 2022.

“It’s not an abridged show where the dialogue and songs may be edited or short, such as in the shows for schools and-or teens,” said Blum, who chairs the nonprofit’s theater committee. “This is the complete show, as written by Meredith Willson, with a full cast, full dialogue, choreography, and musical tracks from a full Broadway orchestra.” 

Historically, that time-tested and ever-popular staple of live theater, the musical, has only been presented in a limited fashion on the island. The lack of venues with the necessary on-and-off-stage space the productions’ require, above and beyond what’s necessary for non-musicals, has been a key reason why.

That includes the rather cramped stage at the ACT’s theater in the Marco Town Center, which was the longtime home of the now defunct Marco Players community theater group. 

However, the challenge of limited space is one that’s been surmounted by the Fort Myers Theatre company, which will be bringing its production of “The Music Man” to Marco. The group’s performances are held on a stage of similar size to that of the ACT’s theater. 

The fact ACT will only be presenting the performances, instead of also serving as producer, is another notable fact about the run. 

Invitations Blum received to see the Fort Myers Theatre’s production of “A Chorus Line” and “Beauty and the Beast” last year led to the ACT’s relationship with Lee County group. 

“I was really impressed with their ability present a full-scale musical in an intimate setting,” he said. “They’re also in a shopping center. But they have a history of doing musicals, four or five over the course of the year.” 

That positive impression led him to encourage Hyla Crane, the Arts Center’s executive director, to take in a musical there, which she did. 

“She agreed they did exceptional work on a smaller stage and didn’t have to compromise on quality,” explained Blum. “When we began discussions about the Arts Center picking up where the Marco Players left off, we wanted to be innovative. We wanted to bring in a comedy series, which we did, and some other shows, which we did. One of the things we noted at our first news conference is that we were looking to team up with Jeremy and Michelle Kuntze, who are the Fort Myers Theatre’s producers, and discuss having them bring in shows.”

“The Music Man” will be the first of two Fort Myers Theatre musicals the ACT will present this year. The second will be a limited run of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” in December.

Blum is excited to not just expand the spectrum of live theatre offerings on the island, but also for the opportunity to revisit a role with which he’s intimately familiar, having played it multiple times, The Music Man’s protagonist Harold Hill. 

“‘The Music Man’ is one of those fun shows for all ages,” he said. “It’s an American musical theater classic. The part of Harold Hill is just so much fun. I’ve played it before. It really requires a lot of charm and personality, and energy that has to be off the charts. It’s a really tough role and tough role to fill, since Robert Preston played the part in the play and the movie.”

In the play, Hill is a traveling con man who arrives in River City and convinces the locals to start a band by purchasing the uniforms and instruments from him. His intent is to flee with the money. However, the town librarian suspects he’s a fraud. Hill begins to develop feelings for her, and she for him, which leads to a difficult decision about skipping town.

After its 1957 Broadway debut, the show won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical and an individual award for Preston, ultimately running for 1,375 performances. The film adaptation staring Preston and Shirley Jones hit the screen in 1962 and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Since then, there’ve been numerous off and on Broadway revivals, including one starring Hugh Jackman, before he left the role in January. 

Now semi-retired, Blum is an entertainment industry veteran with 40 years as a concert promoter, talent buyer, theater executive, television producer and artist manager. He’s worked with such luminaries as Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Christina Aguilera, Tom Petty, Frankie Valli, Liberace, Liza Minelli, Dolly Parton, Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld.

He’s also spent considerable time performing in community theater over the years, including employing his vocal skills. At the ACT, Blum’s performed his one man-show celebrating Frank Sinatra’s great American Songbook, along with insider show-biz stories from Blum’s career in the entertainment industry. He also acted in “The Ring,” a play put on last season and penned by Joe Simonelli of Cape Coral, who’s also in “The Music Man” cast. “Sinatra’s great American Songbook along with insider show biz stories of Blum’s career in the entertainment industry.

There very well could be more musicals in ACT’s future. 

 “Assuming we’re successful with this, I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t continue,” said Blum. “It’s just a matter of finding the right time slot to put the shows in.” 

The Arts Center Theatre is located in Marco Town Center, 1089 N. Collier Boulevard, Unit #432. For more information about the theatre and purchasing tickets, along with the Marco Island Center for the Arts, visit marcoislandart.org or call 239-394-4221.