Missouri Western’s summer theatre program, Western Playhouse, performed “Music Man” and “Mother Divine” for large audiences.
“Music Man”
“Music Man,” which ran in June, won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, when it debuted on Broadway in 1957. It is one of the most beloved musicals ever produced. Dallas Henry, assistant professor of theatre and cinema, played the lead role of Harold Hill. The play was directed by Tee Quillin, assistant professor of theatre and cinema. Mark Pennington was music director.
The cast also included students Riley Bayer, Lauren Bergman, Erik Burns-Sprung, Caleb Hazelwood, Nerissa Lee, Jacob Mills, Sebastian Smith, and Derek Thompson ’14.
“Mother Divine,” written by Dr. Laurel Vartabedian, was performed in July. It was one of 10 shows selected for the New York Musical Theatre Festival’s 2013 Next Link Project out of more than 200 national and international shows submitted.
Father Divine was played by Randy Davis, who has performed on Broadway and with many national and international tours. Mother Divine was played by Betti O., who was a national winner on Showtime at the Apollo. She has performed nationally and internationally.
The cast included students Lauren Bergman, Thomas Delgado, Amanda Estep and Jacob Mills and Derek Thompson ’14.
The play was directed by Dr. Robert Willenbrink, founding dean of the School of Fine Arts, and the musical director was New York-based Colin Welford.