Broadway by the Bay Presents 'Music Man,' Thanks Redwood City

If one thing can be said about Redwood City—well, the city loves the arts.

One new form of art Redwood City residents have been blessed with of late is the addition of the theater company Broadway by the Bay (BBB), which just moved into the earlier this year.

As BBB puts the finishing touches on its newest offering—a production of the classic musical “The Music Man,” which opens this Thursday, July 14—BBB’s artistic director Brooke Knight says, she couldn’t be more happy with BBB’s new home at the Fox, and with how kind Redwood City has been to them since they moved to Redwood City from San Mateo.

“Redwood City has been very good to us,” she said. “We’re very lucky.”

Knight said, BBB first started negotiating a move into the Fox Theatre when a grant came in to retrofit the San Mateo County Performing Arts Center, which BBB used to exclusively perform out of. When they found out the center would be closed for quite some time for the remodeling, they turned to Redwood City, and were welcomed with open arms.

BBB’s first production at the Fox was “Forever Plaid,” back in April.

“We started out with ‘Forever Plaid,’ and that was very successful. It sold very, very well,” she explained.

Knight said, that show was a much smaller production than BBB is used to putting on; most of the company’s shows are very large and elaborate.

“We purposefully started out with that show since it was a small production, since we were just getting used to that theater,” she said.

However, now that BBB has settled in nicely and gotten their feet wet at the Fox, Knight said they are very much looking forward to this month’s production of “The Music Man,” which is a return to the large-scale productions full of the bright lights, big music, and elaborate sets and backdrops that BBB are used to.

“’The Music Man’ is an old classic, with many, many sets and lots of set changes, and a full 39 people in the cast,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but we’re making it work. We’re quite happy with how it’s working and how it’s looking.”

Knight said, ‘The Music Man’ is exactly the type of show BBB likes to put on for its annual summer production, as the show features a tightly-knit community with a family theme, and the cast features characters of all ages, which allows many more young people to get involved with the show.

When it comes to “The Music Man,” Knight said, she would be hard-pressed to find a theater-lover that doesn’t like the musical.

“It’s a classic, and has absolutely beautiful music. It’s a really well-written musical,” she said. “Even people I talk to who are jaded about theater say they love this one, because it has such great music in it.”

Despite the large scale and high quality of its productions, BBB is known for featuring all local talent. Knight said the 39 cast members in the show are all from the Bay Area, from San Jose to San Francisco as well as the east bay, including many from the immediate areas of Redwood City and San Mateo.

All in all, Knight said “The Music Man” promises to be a great show that people of all ages will love.

“It’s a great family show. We hope a lot of families come to see it,” she said.

Though the retrofitting of the San Mateo County Performing Arts Center will be finished at some point, Knight said, right now, she couldn’t be happier at the Fox, and has hope that BBB’s new arrangement with the theater and City of Redwood City might become a permanent one.

“We’re very happy being at the Fox and we’re very pleased with Redwood City and how welcoming they have been to us,” she said. “And, how helpful the City has been, putting up our banners everywhere. The city has definitely been very good to us.”

 ‘The Music Man’ will presented by Broadway by the Bay at the Fox Theatre, 2215 Broadway St. in Redwood City, from July 14-31. Regular tickets range from $24-50 each. Tickets for a Target Family Saturday Matinee are $15 for adults and $5 for children with a minimum of one child and one adult. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office 90 minutes before showtime. Or, purchase tickets online at www.BroadwayByTheBay.org or by calling 650-579-5565 ext. 1, Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Get $10 off your ticket to Broadway by the Bay’s production of “The Music Man” by calling 650-579-5565 or purchasing online at www.BroadwayByTheBay.org and entering the promotional code “TROUBLE.”