‘The Music Man’ concludes Liberty’s theatre season with rousing musical score, alumni cast members

The Alluvion Stage Company will be marching into Liberty University’s Tower Theater this weekend to the timeless musical score of “The Music Man,” the final production of the academic year. Several alumni have returned to Liberty’s stage to tell the humorous story of a con artist changed for good by a small Iowa town.

Maria Reginaldi (’18), who plays town librarian Marian Paroo, the female lead, said the opportunity to rehearse and perform in the same rooms as when she was a student has been somewhat surreal.

“The moment I stepped into rehearsal, I felt at peace and knew that I was being called by the Lord to be here,” she said. “It felt so redemptive to me to be back in the rehearsal rooms, back in Lynchburg, knowing that I have the assurance that God wants me here.”

Reginaldi has performed in multiple off-Broadway shows in New York City in addition to regional theatre.

“The alumni are really interacting with the students and faculty members, and it’s been fun because it’s a little bit of a reunion for them,” said Neal Brasher, the show’s director and a theatre professor. “Getting to act and perform with each other again, coupled with the chance to be on stage with the students and faculty, has created a really special experience for the cast.”

Andy Harvey (’13), who plays Marcellus Washburn, is enjoying the chance to work with some of his former classmates.

“We just clicked when we walked in that first day,” he said. “I was smiling and laughing and swapping stories from undergrad. It’s really been special and encouraging, knowing when I come into rehearsal that I’m going to be performing with people I love and care about. It feels like coming home when I come back to Lynchburg and to Liberty, even though it looks so different from when I was a student here. I love this school, and I love these people, and that feeling of coming home really fills me up.”

Harvey has performed in 75 professional productions since graduating and recently built up a resume in voice acting. “Music Man” is his fourth Alluvion show (after “Secret Garden,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and “A Christmas Carol”).

“When Neal Brasher called me and told me other alumni are in the cast, I couldn’t turn it down,” he said. “Students have asked me a lot of questions about my career and how I find work, and I like to tell them everything that I can because it’s a tough business and any amount of help or encouragement I can give is worth it.”

Alluvion is Liberty’s nonprofit professional theater company, allowing students to gain professional production experience and perform alongside actors from outside the university’s theatre arts program.

Reginaldi said she was also drawn to do the show because of the chance to invest in the students.

“Something that was pretty prominent in my reasoning for coming back was the opportunity to meet the current students and offer any advice or insights I could. They’ve been so welcoming to me, and I’ve gotten to have some wonderful conversations with some of them. I just wanted to encourage them in a way that I would have needed when I was in their position.”

Five Liberty faculty members are also in the 44-member cast, including theatre professor Andy Geffken (’13), who plays the swindling salesman Harold Hill. School of Music Dean Dr. Stephen Müller and three music professors — Paul Randlett, Kevin Haglund, and Wayne Kompelien — make up the show’s barbershop quartet.

A live orchestra featuring guest musicians from the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra will fill the Tower Theater with the warm, timeless music score that has been enjoyed since the show opened on Broadway in 1957. Brasher said the musical is a mix of humor and heart, and audiences will be entertained as Hill attempts to use his charisma to create a boys’ marching band while currying the favor of the town.

“The music is so enjoyable, it has fun songs and moving songs, and the story has a redemptive journey of the main character,” he explained. “Both of those (aspects) make this is a musical that people have enjoyed for many years. With the alumni, the current students, some younger actors, and the orchestra, there are a lot of reasons why audiences would want to come and see this show.”

“The Music Man” holds nostalgia for Liberty this year, as it was the first musical ever staged by the school when it was performed in 1980 with Christian singer and comedian Mark Lowry (’80) starring as Harold Hill.

Showtimes

• April 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, May 4, 5*, 6 — 7:30 p.m.
• April 22, 29, May 6 — 2 p.m.
• April 23, 30, May 7** (ASL-interpreted performance) — 3 p.m.

Tickets: Liberty.edu/arts/theatre/tickets