Musical breaks out at Lake Zurich board meeting
Saying he was spurred by a recently viral video of a musical breaking out on a commercial airline, Lake Zurich Mayor Thomas Poynton helped arrange for surprise entertainment at Monday's village board meeting.
Just after the session reached a part where Poynton typically reports on a variety of matters, he was interrupted by the flash mob skit that promoted Lake Zurich High School's spring play, "The Music Man."
None of the five village trustees at the meeting had advance knowledge of the plan.
"It was amazing watching people's faces," Poynton told the Daily Herald.
Holding a wireless microphone, student Danny Euker emerged from the back of the crowded meeting room Monday as the musical's lead character, con man Harold Hill, who travels to small town River City, Iowa, to earn a fortune.
Euker strolled before the village board dais singing the 1957 musical's classic "Ya Got Trouble." He was joined by a dozen castmates.
"Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for 'pool,'" Euker sang.
Poynton said he hatched the performance with assistance from "The Music Man" director David Harmon and Mary Beth Euker, a fine arts volunteer at Lake Zurich Unit District 95. Harmon also is an English teacher at Lake Zurich High.
Poynton said he was spurred by a viral video of what happened as passengers prepared for take off on a recent Virgin Airlines flight from Brisbane, Australia. The Australian cast of "The Lion King" was on the plane and suddenly serenaded fellow seatmates with "The Circle of Life."
"The Music Man" was fitting on an evening when the village board decided to allow video gambling in town, he said. Along with promoting the play, Poynton said, he thought the performance would lighten the mood in village hall before the controversial issue was tackled.
Trustee Jim Beaudoin was among the surprised officials and village hall visitors.
"My first reaction was, how did (Danny Euker) get the microphone without any of us noticing?' Beaudoin said. "I found it very entertaining and a great way to start the meeting. All of the kids did a great job and left me wanting to see the full production of the 'Music Man' by these high school students."
"The Music Man" is scheduled April 23-26 at the high school's performing arts center.