Children's Playhouse of Maryland Kicks Off Season With The Music Man, Jr.

The Children's Playhouse of MD (CPM), in residence at the Community College of Baltimore County, Essex, announces its first musical production of the 2011-2012 season, Meredith Willson's "The Music Man, Jr." Performances will be 1 p.m., Sept. 17-18, 24-25 and Oct. 1-2 in the J Building Lecture Hall at CCBC Essex, 7201 Rossville Boulevard. On Sept. 25, a 4 p.m. show will be Sign Language interpreted by student interpreter interns from the CCBC Interpreter Preparation Program.

Tickets are $10 regular admission and $8 for birthday parties or scout troops. For tickets or information, contact the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS (2787).

CPM's production of "The Music Man, Jr." features 46 student actors from Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County and Harford County. James Ruth of Dundalk, Md. headlines the cast as Harold Hill and Allison Comotto of Towson, Md. co-stars as Marian Paroo.

Other featured actors are Matthew Demetrides of Baltimore, Md. as Marcellus Washburn, Thomas Gardner of Joppa, Md. as Mayor Shinn, Collette Simkins of Parkville, Md. as Mrs. Paroo, Olivia Aubele of Perry Hall, Md. as Amaryllis, Andrew Boeren of Rosedale, Md. as Winthrop Paroo, Jamie Watson of Baltimore as Eulalie Shinn, Nicole Smith of Timonium, Md. as Zaneeta Shinn, Ali Radomsky of Essex, Md. as Grace Shinn, Josh Schoff of Dundalk, Md. as Charlie Cowell, Mariellen Kemp of Towson, Md. as Ethel Toffelmeir, Zach Miller of Baltimore, Md. as Tommy Djilas, Isabel Gordon of Towson, Md. as Alma Hix, Zoe Feldman of Baltimore, Md. as Maud Dunlop and Sheridan Merrick of Baltimore, Md. as Mrs. Squires. The Quartet features Joey Bird of Phoenix, Md. (Olin Britt), Johnathon O'Neal of Cockeysville (Ewart Dunlop), Gino Cardoni of Essex, Md. (Jacey Squires) and Philip Merrick of Baltimore, Md. (Oliver Hix).

The ensemble cast for the production includes: Tiffany Flaharty of Abingdon, Md.; Wesley Brown, Caroline Halligan, Rachel Miller, Tyrell Stanley of Baltimore, Md.; Nicole Arrison and Kelsey Feeney of Bel Air, Md.; Victoria Caldwell of Joppa, Md.; JillIan Wenger of Hunt Valley, Md.; Kevin Cossaboon of Kingsville, Md.; Delaney Hagy of Lutherville, Md.; Autumn Simpson of Millersville, Md.; Kristen Kreiner, Rhiannon Owen, Emily Ricci of Nottingham, Md.; Emma Brill, Allison Mudd, Allison Naglieri, Everett Simkins and Cyerah Zoeller of Parkville, Md.; Grace Aubele and Emily Jester of Perry Hall, Md.; Angela Boeren and Katie Seibert of Rosedale, Md.; Megan Durner, Maya Montgomery and Connor Moore of Towson, Md.

Liz Boyer Hunnicutt directs and Julie Parrish is musical director.

Set in Iowa, "The Music Man, Jr." centers on Harold Hill, a con man who poses as an organizer for children's bands. He convinces a number of townspeople to invest in instruments, but the town librarian, Marian Paroo, is not taken in by him. Later, when Hill helps her younger brother Winthrop, who has difficulties due to a lisp, Marian starts to fall for him. Harold risks everything to win Marian over. The show includes such famous crowd-pleasers as "76 Trombones," "Trouble," and "Til There Was You."

The CCBC production of the "The Music Man, Jr." will debut Sept. 10, 2011 during the CPM 5th Annual Fundraising Gala, 6:30 p.m. (silent auction and raffles) 7:30 p.m. performance in the B Building Theatre at CCBC Essex. Tickets are $25 each and include a lite fare reception following the show.

Tickets for the Gala or the shows are available in advance by calling the CCBC Box Office at 443-840-ARTS (2787) Tickets may also be available at the door, space permitting. Both venues are wheelchair-accessible. Patrons requiring special accommodations are urged to inform the Box Office at the time of ticket purchase.

About CCBC (www.ccbcmd.edu)

CCBC offers hundreds of programs and thousands of courses helping people of all ages, backgrounds and interests earn degrees, transfer, launch or advance careers, and prepare for in-demand jobs. Providing accessible, affordable and high quality education since 1957, CCBC educates more than 70,000 students each year, including half of all Baltimore County residents attending college in Maryland as undergraduates. Committed to student success and the development of lifelong learners who strengthen our regional workforce and enrich our community, CCBC has also been selected to participate in Achieving the Dream, a national student success initiative.

CCBC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.