Perrysburg group to stage ‘Music Man’

Performances run Thursday through Saturday at the high school

Deanna Welch, left, and Christian Siebenaler rehearse a scene from the Music Man with the Perrysburg Musical Theatre Company at St. Timothy’s Church.

As Sarah Keune grew up in school plays and drama classes, her favorite musical and “guilty pleasure” was always The Music Man, in which she was never able to take part.

This weekend Ms. Keune, a 2012 Perrysburg High School graduate studying theater in college, gets to play the lead female role as Marian Paroo in the Perrysburg Musical Theatre Company’s show.

“I love it,” she said. “I’m not on stage for the first 20 minutes and get to sit and listen to the first three songs and it is like I’m 5 years old watching it as a kid, only now I get to put on a pretty dress and sing in it. It is surreal.”

Perrysburg High School will host the performances Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, students, and children.

The community theater’s production will have about 75 cast members ranging in age from 7 to the 70s and feature about 15 musical selections.

Christian Siebenaler, a Perrysburg resident playing the male lead role of Harold Hill, said working with Ms. Keune is “awesome” because you can tell she is a professional and has a beautiful voice.

Show director Clark Ausloos said, coupled with her powerful voice, she is a natural actress who doesn’t look fake or insincere on stage.

This project has allowed Ms. Keune to continue developing her craft despite being home for the summer from Ohio Northern University, where she studies theater. She hopes to land a job in Chicago or on tour with a play or at a theater before going back for graduate school for master of fine arts studies.

Rehearsing from 6 to 10 p.m. for months is normal for Ms. Keune, who wants a career in theater, but is a huge commitment for those working full-time jobs and doing the show on the side.

“People devote a lot of time into the show, it is like a full-time job,” Mr. Ausloos said. “I like that the community comes together and take off their occupation hat too. We have doctors, lawyers, photographers, students and everyone is equal, no one is bigger than anyone else.”

The nonprofit organization’s third summer production is about con man Harold Hill going to an Iowa town with a money-making scam which Marian Paroo sees through.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Mr. Siebenaler said. “There are some great voices and actors here.”

Contact Matt Thompson at: mthompson@theblade.com, 419-356-8786, or on Twitter at @mthompson25.