July 1-7, 2004
Good Times

Making Music
Cabrillo Stage chalks up another likely winner with “The Music Man”
By Christa Martin

Last summer was a sketchy time for Cabrillo Stage, it seemed. Doom was on the horizon. Victimized by budget cuts, the musical theater darling had rumors (and some truth) swirling around about it. Because its pockets were wearing thin, there were murmurs that last summer´s acclaimed “West Side Story” was possibly going to be the company´s last “story,” at least for a while. And on top of that, its founding artistic director Lile O. Cruse was leaving his post.

Although the company has admittedly been sliced and diced in the financial arena, it´s no sinking ship. Cabrillo Stage is back, with a handful of new surprises and a fresh show, “The Music Man,” that only proves this company will forge ahead, budget cuts or not. Still, for this season, Cabrillo Stage had another 20 percent of its Cabrillo College contributions cut. The budget for putting on a summer show is about $300,000.
“It's limited our growth potential right now, making us very frugal in the ways that we approach the show,” says new artistic director Skip Epperson, who is filling Cruse´s giant shoes. “We´ve had to rely on a strong donor base, and appeal to the community. The great thing is that we had tremendous response from donors. … But we´ve had to raise our ticket prices a bit.”

Yet with a chop here or there, what won´t get cut, no matter how tight things become, is the quality of a Cabrillo Stage production, Epperson says. No compromises.

“It comes down to the level of professionalism that our public has been wanting and is expecting,” Epperson says.
And it´s this “level of professionalism” that wins Cabrillo Stage annual glowing kudos. Entering its 23rd year of offering the only Broadway-style musical theater in these parts, the company typically fills its house the entire summer. This year “The Music Man” will play in the Cabrillo Theater Wednesday through Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons, from July 9 to Aug. 15. The classic stage favorite is a song-and-dance romp in the depths of what makes a musical so delicious.

The story is about a man named Harold Hill who lures the residents of an Iowa town to pitch in and start an old time boys´ band (long before the likes of N´ Sync or the Back Street Boys). One colossal problem: He´s a sham. Things go awry, of course, and love enters the scene. “The Music Man” stars Broadway actor James Patterson and local girl Sheila Willey, who is studying for her master´s degree at UC Santa Cruz.

“After the success of ‘West Side Story´ [we wondered], well, what do we now?” Epperson says. “Everything else [we thought] would be a letdown. ‘The Music Man´ came because of the values it instills. It´s upbeat, exciting and wholesome in many ways. It´s one of the most-loved of musicals out there, it´s sappy and heartwarming and goofy, and it sounds fabulous. And … on a deeper level, it´s my own little inside tribute to Lile. In so many ways he´s been the music man, for over 20 years, selling trumpets and uniforms and inspiring people in incredible ways.”

Taking over for our local “music man” is Epperson. “My prayer life has gotten stronger,” Epperson says. “This is the hardest job I´ve ever done.”
Formerly, Epperson served in a multitude of ways for Cabrillo Stage, and was especially known for his stunning set design work. Now, he´s the guy who fields all the questions.

“Every day I see something else that comes along that makes me so in awe of what [Lile] has done,” Epperson says, clearly with deep respect for his predecessor.

But with Cruse's departure, there have been a few other changes. Epperson has relinquished his set designing duties into the hands of another. And Cruse´s musical director´s baton has been figuratively handed over to Mickey McGushin, who formerly served as the accompanist and assistant music director.

“We have 23 of the best players in the area,” McGushin says, about working with his new team. “The music is nonstop wonderful. The show has real heart. The Broadway show [of ‘The Music Man´] was flash and glitter, not that this doesn´t have that, but Tom [McKenzie, the director] wanted to focus on the heart of it. You can´t leave not feeling on a real high.”
This “high” might be credited to a number of people, among them McGushin for his musical backdrop, McKenzie for his in-your-face romance with musical theater, and Epperson for molding it all together. And then, of course, there´s the star of the show, James Patterson.

Over the phone he has that perfect purr of someone who has clocked in significant hours on the stage. And because he´s done work on Broadway (“Beauty and the Beast”) it would be easy to surmise that those hours were long spent in crummy little theaters off-off-off-off Broadway. Not the case for the charming Patterson, who eschewed the long trek to the top. Not long after college, (he attended the New England Conservatory of Music and TUTFS University), Patterson landed a gig in a regional theater production in New York. From there he did “State Fair” and has since become a fixture on New York stages and in touring companies. This is his first gig in Santa Cruz, one where he´s admittedly being spoiled. Patterson stars in Cabrillo Stage´s rendition of “The Music Man” in the part of the sleazy salesman, Harold Hill. It's a show he´s done before.
“[It] speaks to me a lot of optimism, and believing in the good of people,” Patterson says.

Of course, this goodness he talks about isn´t initially evident in his own character until love hits the stage. As with most things of the romantic sort, love has the ability to cast out ugly behavior and turn schleps into knights.

Patterson has wooed the musical theater scene so much that he´s now able to sing and dance his way through life. Only during one or two dry stretches did he take on a survival job. For a young aspiring actor or singer to model a career after his will be a competitive journey, but it´s an accomplishment that can be grasped. His advice?

“Keep studying, take voice lessons, acting classes, whatever your specialty is,” Patterson says. “And have a good sense of humor. It´s about being yourself and not fitting into the cookie cutter mold.”
And maybe, somewhere along the journey, look for a music man, and watch what he does—his is the secret to this kind of success.

“The Music Man,” by Cabrillo Stage, plays at the Cabrillo College Theater July 9 to Aug. 15, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos. Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $18-$27 Wednesdays and Thursdays; $20-$29 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. To purchase tickets, call 479-6154 or visit www.cabrillostage.com. For more info, call 479-6429