The classic musical \u201cThe Music Man\u201d plays in Scranton from Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 14, as the season finale of the Broadway in Scranton series.<\/p>\n
Tickets start at $59, plus online fees. Showtimes are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.<\/p>\n
Producers recently extended the national tour past the end of June and into late December, said actress Elizabeth D\u2019Aiuto. She plays the female lead, Marian, a librarian, music teacher and a bit of an outsider. She suspects there is trouble in River City when a slick traveling instrument salesman charms the small town.<\/p>\n
The enemies-to-lovers tale set in the 1910s with big hats and big harmonies still has something to say, D\u2019Aiuto said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a love story, but it\u2019s also a love story for the community as well,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really, really a timeless story. There\u2019s a reason why the musical is still being produced today, after being written in the \u201950s. The music is iconic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Well-known songs include \u201cSeventy-Six Trombones,\u201d \u201c(Ya Got) Trouble\u201d and \u201cTill There Was You.\u201d<\/p>\n
The jokes still land, especially with older audiences and audiences that pay attention, she said. \u201cYou need to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there is also a lot to see, D\u2019Aiuto said. The cast of about 30 includes dancers who literally throw themselves into the role.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe dancers are just absolutely incredible,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are doing flips and tricks and every single time they do a dance number, the audience just goes absolutely nuts because they\u2019re really, really incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ten musicians and a video system that projects backdrops travel with the show.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Aiuto was a swing \u2014 a backup who understudies several roles\u2014 in an international tour of \u201cThe Sound of Music.\u201d The Boston Conservatory graduate, 29, is on her first national tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m beyond grateful, and it\u2019s a wonderful experience to get to tour. Is touring difficult? Absolutely. It\u2019s not for the weak. You have to be very diligent about your health.\u201d<\/p>\n
She prioritizes sleep, lifts weights, packs in protein, stays hydrated and tries to avoid a midnight run to Taco Bell after a show.<\/p>\n
There is a paying audience at the end of every long bus ride. \u201dI always try to remember that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
D\u2019Aiuto said she is honored to share the role with iconic women. Sutton Foster had two Tony Awards to her credit before playing Marian in a Broadway revival a few years ago. Shirley Jones had already won an Oscar for an earlier role before starring in the 1962 movie. Barbara Cook won a Tony Award for originating the role on Broadway in 1957.<\/p>\n
It was one of five Tony wins, including best musical. The cast album won a Grammy Award and was a bestseller.<\/p>\n