Castaic High theater performing ‘The Music Man’

Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man” is a love letter to the Midwest, a slice of Americana that is as wholesome as apple pie and yet it presents a very important question: Can people actually change?

The Castaic High School Theatre Department plans to find out by presenting Wilson’s “The Music Man.” Remaining performances in the four-show run are Friday and Saturday night at 6 p.m. in the Castaic Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available on Go Fan or at the door.

This show made its debut on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre in 1957 starring Robert Preston and Barbara Cook, and completed its most recent Broadway run starring Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman in January 2023.

The staying power of a classic show like this tells Castaic theater director Heather Moss-layman that there is “something here that we are still grappling with” and she thought it would be a fun idea to explore with the students, according to a news release from the theater program.

“Why are we still so fascinated by con men and can we change as people, and if so what makes us change?” she added.

Actor Oliva Upton, who plays Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, suggests “people definitely can change and perhaps it is experiences that promote this change.”

Chandon Moon, who plays Harold Hill, believes “people are still interested in con men because they are very charismatic and entertaining to watch and sort of magician-like in a way that draws people in.”

“The Music Man” features the songs “76 Trombones,” “Wells Fargo Wagon” and “Goodnight My Someone,” with dancing choreographed by Brianne Moss Alexander. It is only the secondever musical produced at Castaic High School.

Forty-five 45 cast and crew members are performing and building the show, and 25% of the students are doing a musical for the first time.

Emerson Davis, one of two assistant stage managers, describes this new experience as “exciting and if a bit overwhelming.”

Actor Samantha Silverlake describes her first musical as “full of fun times and a lot of hard work.”

Set Designer Carlie Mcrae said in the release, “Creating this whole set has been amazing. I am new to this, so it has been a little difficult, but overall an amazing experience.”

Moss-layman added she is “extremely proud of the dedication, hard work and community that we’ve built while putting this project together and we hope you’ll come check it out.”

Tickets ($2-$10) are available at tinyurl.com/castaictheatre.