Last year’s Strawberry Festival Ambassador, Brooklynn El Fattal learned a lot of dance routines this year for her performance in the Northwest Savoyards’ production of “The Music Man.” She and her two sisters are performing as River City Teens and River City Kids in the chorus of Meredith Willson’s musical about a fast-talking traveling salesman who intends to con the people of River City until he falls for Marian the librarian.
The three sisters, Brooklynn, 17, Beth, 11, and Julie, 4, got involved with the Northwest Savoyards for the previous show, “Wizard of Oz” earlier this year, when their mother volunteered to shoot publicity photos.
A photographer by trade and a “stay-at-home” mom, Jennifer said after she volunteered to be photographer, they recruiter her to join the backstage crew. Her elder daughters auditioned for the show and the youngest, Julie, was recruited after she was seen dancing backstage.
“They are on stage through most of the whole show,” said Jennifer El Fattal.
After her first production, Jennifer was recruited to be assistant stage manager for “The Music Man” helping the stage manager, Sue Brown, who also lives in Marysville.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” she said. “But when the stage manager left for two weeks in Ireland, the cast was really awesome and the producer, John Edwards, backed me up.”
She said the cast and crew of the show are a wonderful group of people.
“It’s a really good family atmosphere,” she said.
Although she didn’t intend to get the whole family involved when she first decided to volunteer her photographic services, it was her girls who decided they wanted to participate.
Brooklynn is a senior at Marysville-Pilchuck High School with good grades, according to her mom.
“She volunteers as a bilingual tutor at Kellogg Marsh Elementary, where Beth goes to school, and is a member of the National Honor Society. She has received a scholarship to attend Seattle Pacific University next year.” She plans to major in English.
Jennifer grew up in Everett and moved to California at age 14 when her father was transferred with then-telephone company GTE.
“My goal was to return to the Northwest,” Jennifer said.
She and her husband found their home in Marysville and now her husband is getting used to being a theater orphan.
“He quotes the lines he hears around the house,” Jennifer said.
An affectionate paean to Smalltown, U.S.A. “The Music Man” is an all-American institution, thanks to is quirky characters, charmingly predictable dramatic situations, and one-of-a-kind, nostalgic score of rousing marches, barbershop quartets and sentimental ballads.
By turns wicked, funny, warm, romantic and touching, “The Music Man” is family entertainment at its best, especially so with this family-oriented community theater company.
Harold Hill is played by Dan Niven and Marian Paroo is played by Shoshauna Mohlman.
Other north county talent in the show include Choe O’Laughlin, who is also part of the River City Kids, Lisa Spoelstra, of Arlington, joins the El Fattal girls with the River City Teens, and Tom Munyon, of Marysville, is in the men’s ensemble.
“The Music Man” continues through June 15 at the PUD Auditorium, 2320 California Ave. in Everett. Performances start at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors, students and military personnel and group rates are available at www.northwestsavoyards.org or call 866-811-4111. For special needs and group tickets call the subscriber ticket line at 425-530-9409.
