Main attraction

A school in Iowa doing a musical that has an Iowa connection — it just makes sense.

Clarke Community High School students will perform "The Music Man" Nov. 9 and 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Director Don May said the school likes to do a lot of big-name shows.

"Just sometimes, just one comes into our head, and that's what we want to do. So, we decide to do that," he said.

"The Music Man"

"The Music Man" is a musical by Meredith Willson. It is based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey.

The story is about con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader to sell band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with the money.

In River City, Iowa, prim librarian and piano teacher Marian Paroo sees through him, but when Hill helps her younger brother overcome his fear of social interactions because of his lisp, Paroo begins to fall in love with Hill.

Hill, who finds himself falling in love with Paroo, risks being caught to win her love.

Wilson was originally inspired by his childhood in Mason City to write and compose the musical.

Local support

May said the public should see the musical because it's a big cast and great show.

"The musicals are really strong attendance-wise," May said. "Just 'The Music Man,' with the Iowa connection, Meredith Wilson, and also, supposedly, set in River City, Iowa, we've got a lot of connection there."

He added, in one of the opening songs, it lists a bunch of different towns, and one of the names has been changed to Osceola.

Character traits

Mitch Lampe, who plays Harold Hill, said his character is "flamboyant and kind of awesome."

"He knows what he's doing and he doesn't ever slip up," Lampe said. "He does his job with style and pizzazz. He's just an all-around fun guy."

Kacey Klemesrud, playing Marian Paroo, said her character is stubborn. However, she added, it's fun to play that part.

"She's stubborn, but she comes around in the end and opens her mind up to other things," Klemesrud said.