National Asian Artists Project presents a concert version of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man on October 18 and 19, with Daniel May as Harold Hill and Viveca Chow as Marian Paroo.
Both performances begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, part of the Joan Weill Center for Dance at 405 West 55th Street. Tickets cost $59 to $75 and are sold through NAAP’s page for the concert.
Steven Eng directs. Baayork Lee choreographs, Alexander Tom is music director and Dustin Cross designs the costumes. Casting is by Michael Cassara and Andrea Zee.
Willson wrote the book, music and lyrics, working from a story he developed with Franklin Lacey. The musical follows Harold Hill, a traveling salesman who talks River City, Iowa, into paying for a boys’ band he has no way of leading, and whose exit plan comes apart once he falls for Marian, the town librarian.
The principal company is Elaine Baez, Beatrice Goddard Beggs, Eymard Meneses Cabling, Juan Castro, Andy Danh, Kimbirdlee Fadner, Lydia Gaston, Rebecca Larkin, Whit K. Lee, Rommel Pierre O'Choa, Mukta Phatak, Herman Sebek, Viet Vo and Lucas Wu.
The ensemble is Chadwick Balen, Arielle Ploy Dettmer, Austin Wong Harper, Miya Heulitt, Alicia Kee, Brian Shimasaki Liebson, Maile Oravitz, Avelina Kiyome Sanchez, Cole Hong Sisser, Oscar Tomosada, Yuha Ukai and Haoyi Wen.
NAAP’s Broadway Community Chorus also takes part, along with students from the NAAP Theatre Club at PS 124 Yung Wing Elementary School. The nonprofit builds its work around artists of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent.
