DANBURY — Musicals at Richter is ending its 39th season on a high note with Meredith Willson’s The Music Man.

The popular musical, set in 1912, tells the story of a traveling con man, Harold Hill, and how he manages to transform the small town of River City, Iowa, by starting a band. He easily wins the hearts of locals while casually emptying their wallets and planning a quick escape. But what will he do when he falls for the local librarian and piano teacher, Marian?

This story has something for all ages. Younger children may struggle to understand it, but there are still plenty of things for them to enjoy, whether it be the music, dancing, or popular lollipops sold at the theater.

For those looking for something familiar, The Music Man also features some of the most well-known songs in the American musical theater canon, such as “Till There Was You,” “(Ya Got) Trouble,” and “Seventy-Six Trombones.”

Musicals at Richter is a beautiful outdoor theater hidden away in a small patch of woods on the rolling hills of a golf course. The dark trees, illuminated only by fireflies and buzzing with cicadas, create the perfect summer ambiance. But with nature comes the threat of bad weather.

Recently, there has been a lot of rain which, of course, leads to cancellations. Last Friday, lightning accompanied the summer ambiance. When the thunder started, signaling the storm was closing in, the show had to end prematurely. While unfortunate, these cancellations are simply the reality of an outdoor theater.

They also faced a major obstacle when lead actress Claire Simard got sick and could not perform for about a week. Luckily, Meaghan Elliot took over as Marian and did a wonderful job, especially on such short notice. Elliot was given the role on Wednesday of last week, had one rehearsal, then a performance on August 3.

Of course, this isn’t enough time to memorize lines, so she had the script on stage with her. Surprisingly, it was barely noticeable. It made sense for her character, a librarian, to always have a book on her. If anything, it added a comedic aspect to Marian as she enjoyed her novel, most likely by the frequently referenced author, Balzac, in the middle of a conversation.

Overall, Elliot gave a phenomenal performance. Her voice was absolutely gorgeous, especially during “Goodnight My Someone.” She clearly didn’t need to memorize her lines to gain an intimate understanding of Marian and portray her perfectly.

Mensah Robinson, who played Professor Harold Hill, also seemed very in touch with his character. He was charismatic and goofy, just as any comedic con man would be. How else could he have convinced an entire town a pool table is the “devil’s tool”?

The cast in general was amazing. Everyone played their roles perfectly, bringing River City to life.

The only noticeable issues were the weak opening and closing scenes.

The first scene features the song “Rock Island,” which is supposed to emulate the sound of a train. It relies heavily on rhythm, so one small mistake is very noticeable and can throw the entire thing off.

While performing the song, they did not stay on beat, which is a bit distracting and makes it difficult to understand. The problem is the song is a cappella, so there is nothing keeping the tempo.

When performing a cappella, there needs to be a conductor or someone keeping the beat. You can’t just use Professor Harold Hill’s think system, in which you think about a song and suddenly can perform it perfectly.

This scene is supposed to introduce the story and characters, giving background so the rest of the show makes sense. If you can’t keep up with the song, though, you won’t understand what is going on.

The issue with the closing scene was it felt rushed. This is not a comment on the story but, rather, how it is told.

During this scene, there was a very sudden change in tone that felt unrealistic. While The Music Man is admittedly a work of fiction, slowing the tone could help the story stay consistent and make a lot more sense.

Though not every scene is perfect, the Richter show is exceptional. It is funny, vibrant, and catchy, the perfect end to a long week. While things didn’t go according to plan for this production, Musicals at Richter embodies the idea of “the show must go on.”

Performances continue to August 12, with Friday and Saturday curtain at 8 pm. For tickets and more information, visit musicalsatrichter.org.

Maia Labbe is a Newtown resident and journalist intern whose work is funded through a grant from New England Newspaper & Press Association (NENPA).