School Musical
Students and teachers from the Theatre Arts Club of YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College have wanted for a couple of years to produce a full-length Broadway musical. But because of the high demands and complexity of the task, it wasn’t seen by many as a possible reality. The Music Man, has, however, demonstrated a successful example of what commitment and determination can accomplish. The performance, with a cast of more than 120 students and teachers, delighted and overwhelmed over 1,000 audiences at the YHKCC auditorium in the spectacular evenings on 8th, 9th and 10th April 2011. Another performance was shown to primary and secondary school students free of charge in the afternoon of 7th April.
Dr Maureen Coulter, Director of The Music Man, said, “The performing arts play a vital and essential role in developing students’ confidence, problem-solving skills, language skills, creativity, self-discipline and teamwork. These are all skills and attributes necessary for our young people as they begin their adult lives as tertiary students and employees. The Music Man is a show requiring a big cast and a high level of singing skills and excellent stage craft. It has been hard work—as well as a great deal of fun—and we have made it. We had many very talented students, and that the performing arts were going to become an important part of our school culture. It is also notable for the opportunity it has given our students and teachers to work together as performers—a hallmark of our productions.”
The Music Man is a musical by Meredith Willson and has splendid music, songs, dance and an engaging story. It is set in a small town in Iowa, USA, 1912. It tells the story of how Harold Hill, a conman who goes from town to town pretending he is a musical expert, arrives in River City and tells people he is going to set up a brass band for the children. Things changes, however, when Harold falls in love with the town’s librarian, Marian Paroo, leading to much hilarious action as he tries to evade the forces of law and order. The show became an instance hit on Broadway in 1957 and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and has been popular ever since.
The Music Man has the biggest cast of any show produced in YHKCC. Our students and teachers have proven that with commitment, imagination and hard work, they can reach for the stars. We believe that excellent is achievable! At the end of the musical, Dr. Nick Miller, Principal of YHKCC expressed his thanks, said, “I would like to express my gratitude to you for your presence with us, and to the students, teachers, parents and staff who have worked so hard to deliver this high-quality performance. This is a complex and demanding show both from the musical and staging points of view. Nevertheless, we feel confident that our wonderful students under the guidance of our dedicated and accomplished Dr Maureen Coulter, supported by our excellent PTA led by Mr Evans Mendonca, are more than up to the challenge. Our cast has been rehearsing tirelessly for several months to make The Music Man such an overwhelming success. We are so proud of them for such an impressive performance of transferable life skills. We see our school as being on the road to excellence, and trust that tonight our version of The Music Man will be another milestone on our journey to success.”
