The Very Best Music Man

Since it a few years too late for Greg and Janet to see the "very best Music Man" ever on stage I will write about it. By the way, I have always preferred stage to movies - just one of my 110 idiosyscracies!
The summer of 1971 Rich read an article in the newspaper - there were tryouts to be one of boys in the band at a Foothill College production of Music Man. He thought that would really be neat and I agreed so off we went. Well, as it turned out, any boy would do so he was assured of being in it. Since this was a summer course at the college I had to register. Thus began on of the best eight weeks in my life. Anyhow, the way they did things, Rich went off with the vocal instructor and all the other boys and girls while other things went on in the auditorium. Later they all returned and much to my amazement who was standing up in the middle of the stage, all by himself singing - yes, Rich!
So, there were rehearsals five nights a week from seven to ten for six weeks - and I dutifully attended them all - and knit an Irish sweater for Shellie while at it. And, of course, Rich very quickly knew all the parts and the words to all the songs. The music director was really pleased as he didn't know how he could get Rich to burst into "Gary, Indiana" on the right key - that is til he discovered that Rich had perfect pitch. Rich sang night and day that whole time.
The musical was performed Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for two weeks. It was very successful! Rich gave up singing all the time once it was over and later would not even sing one of his songs for Karen who was not home from college that summer and had missed the show.
Actually, I had seen the New York roadshow company put it on in San Francisco and they did a good job - but none could ever compare with the one Rich was in and I sincerely mean - never!