Greg Potter
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE

HERE'S NO business
like show business.

Yeah, right.

Though the maxim means
well and certainly anyone with
an itch for performing takes to
the ensuing adrenaline rush like
shoes to Shinola, there are com-
plications inherent in the scheme
ak how to pay the rent, for exam-
ple.

North Vancouver actor Mark
Hopkins, who stars in the Greater
Vancouver Operatic Society’s
The Music Man, running Feb. 24-
27 and Mar. 2-5 at Centennial
Theatre, knows these complica-
tions all too well.

“You have to be prepared to
do anything and everything that
comes along,” says the 33-year-
old Hopkins. “Television, film,
live theatre, commercials, car-
toon voices, whatever.

“There's not enough money
around to try and specialize in
one area.”

. The scenario is one shared by
Harold Hill, Hopkins’ character
in the production.

A “fast-talking, woman-chas-
ing, travelling salesman,” Hill
isn’t a soul easily accused of
spreading himself tao thin.
However, whén he falls in love
with a librarian in the town he is
attempting to fleece, he finds his
flimi-flaraming days on the wane.

“Hill-is a very successful sales-
man who decides to try his scam
on a little town,” says Hopkins.
“But the iownsfolk figure it out
pretty quick.”

For Hopkins, the role is a
dream gig.

“It's a real fave of mine,” ne
says of the production set in
1912 which was initially mount-
ed on Broadway in 1958 and
went on to win that year’s Tony
for Best Musical, even beating
out West Side Story.

““My wife turned to me one

NETRA
plot
+ Hi

SREP SY

a
si
é.

JESSIE AWARD nominee Mark Hopkins will be playing Harold
Hiil in the GVOS production of The Music Man.

day and said, ‘I don’t know if I
should tell you this, but they’re
holding auditions for The Music
Man.’ -:-

“| had a pretty good idea that
I'd get it.”

Indeed, he did get it. and the
Jessie nominee (for Billy Bishop
Goes to War in 1989) took over
the classic Robert Preston role.

“They actually didn’t want
Preston to play the role in the
film,” Hopkins says with a laugh.
“{n fact, they even asked Cary
Grant to do it, but he turned it
down.”

Meanwhile, Shirley Jones (yes,
Mrs. Partridge from The Partidge
Family) and Ron Howard (yes,
Opie from The Andy Gritfith
Show) were tossed the supporting
roles in the Meredith Willson
show.

“The great thing about
Willson is that he is one of the
few writers that did everything,”

says Hopkins. “He does the
music, the lyrics and the story.

“Consequently, the songs flow
naturally out of the dialogue —
it’s not like everything comes to a
halt and people just suddenly
stop and start singing.”

The cast of 55, says Hopkins,
consists of well-developed char-
acters.

“Although there’s only three’
or four leads, every role is sup-
ported by them — everybody is
so well done.”

The production.is a switch for
the company which tends to
mount traditional musical the-
atre. The works of Gilbert and
Sullivan, for example, have been
staples in the past.

“But there is all this great old
stuff,” says Hopkins. “As far as
full-scale productions go, this is
one of the most fun to clo.

“The Music Man is definitely
one of the gems of the era.”

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