'Music Man' at Cutting Hall a true family affair
The last time Tom Toussaint of Arlington Heights sang in four-part harmony, he was part of the Varsity Men's Glee Club at the University of Illinois.
Over the years, a growing family of seven children and carving out a career in publishing intervened, but he happened upon a chance to reconnect with his love of singing: Palatine's TesserAct Theatre and its production of "Music Man."
The show opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight and runs through June 20 at Cutting Hall, 150 E. Wood St. in Palatine.
At the last minute, Toussaint was asked to fill in as one of the bickering school board members who find unison as barbershop quartet members.
"I thought it was ridiculous to think I could walk in and take a place in the quartet - without an audition," Toussaint says. "But my kids were interested, so I asked if they could be included."
When he added that he had five boys, ranging in age from 13 to 6, he said the magic words.
The "Music Man" revolves around salesman Harold Hill coming to a small town in Iowa selling instruments and promoting the idea of pulling the townspeople together with a boys' band.
The Toussaints were in, and now Tom Toussaint sings the lead part in the quartet and also plays the role of the train conductor who takes the audience back to a simpler time, when he announces: "River City Junction, River City, next stop."
In all, nearly 100 people are involved with the show, including cast, crew and orchestra. Of those, more than 30 are children and teens, and most of them are performing in the show with their parents, or in some cases, grandparents.
Julie Price, an assistant director and choreographer in the show, says mounting the production has been an emotional challenge, since it is the first show entirely produced without the company's founder, Susannah Kist, who passed away in December of cancer.
"We're committed to carrying out Susannah's vision," Price says, "of bringing the community to theater and the theater to the community."
Jessica Means, of Schaumburg, plays the female lead of Marian Paroo and shares the stage with her husband, Rudy.
She describes the musical as one of her personal favorites and the part of Marian, a dream role. It evokes special family memories for Means, an English teacher at Palatine High School.
"Music Man has meant so much to me over the years, because it makes me feel connected with my mother," Means says. "This was the first musical I ever saw at age 3 when Mom played the role of Marian Paroo," she said. "Now, my mom is in the audience and I am performing her role and I want to make sure every aspect of the show impresses her, the costumes, acting, and singing."
Palatine attorney Elroy "Sandy" Sandquist, plays the smooth talking lead role of Harold Hill.
"From start to finish the show will make you laugh and cry," says Sandquist, who also shares the stage with his wife, Colleen, who plays one of the Pick-a-Little Ladies. "You'll be humming the unforgettable tunes until your head hits the pillow."
Supporting roles include: Mary Beth Polizzi of Cary as Mrs. Paroo, Dan Hollander of Palatine as Winthrop, Julia Stegvik of Barrington as Amaryllis, Andre Zielinski of Arlington Heights as Marcellus, Dan Angursat of Mount Prospect as Tommy and Marcy Angursat of Mount Prospect as Zaneeta.
In matinee performances June 12-13 and evenings June 18-19, supporting leads include Judith Ross of Palatine as Mrs. Paroo, Alexander Denniston of Arlington Heights as Winthrop, Peyton Bach of Lake Barrington as Amaryllis, Rudy Means of Schaumburg as Marcellus, Lindsey Weiss of Palatine as Zaneeta and Zach Carson of Palatine as Tommy. Katie Dapper of Palatine will play Marian for the matinee performance June 19.
If you goTesserAct Theatre's production of "Music Man" bull; 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. matinees Saturdays and Sundays, June 11-20. bull; Cutting Hall, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine bull; Cost: $10 in advance; $12 at the door. bull; Details: (847) 202-5222; palatineparkdistrict.com.False13302000Tom Touissaint and his boys (by age): Charlie, 6, Brady, 8, Ryan, 10, Josh, 11, and Trevor, 13. False