Ron Husmann, who starred in such Broadway musicals as "Fiorello" (1959), "Tenderloin" (1960) and the revivals of "Irene" (1971) with Debbie Reynolds and "Can-Can" (1981) will present a series of workshops for students, teachers, actors and fans of American musical theater Wednesday through Friday, Jan. 28-30, on the Weber State University campus.
Husmann, who produced the video series "Broadway: A History of the Musical," a 10 1/2-hour series that has become a standard in theater classes across the country, retired from performing 15 years ago due to the loss of his singing voice to multiple sclerosis."As a member of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society," Husmann said in a recent letter published in Show Music magazine (following an article tracing his long theatrical and teaching career), "I feel very strongly that we need to let people know about the disease in order to find a cure. It is not a death warrant, but it certainly is a hard and unrelenting taskmaster.
"Unfortunately, I share this dubious honor with 350,000 other Americans, including Annette Funicello and Richard Pryor, who are also battling a more virulent version of the disease."
The schedule for Husmann's three-day visit to WSU, for which all but one event will take place in the Shepherd Union Building, includes:
- Wednesday: no-host luncheon at noon in the Skyroom, followed by a master class (3 to 5 p.m.) and an in-depth critique of ensemble presentations in a rehearsal format (Room 338).
- Thursday: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., guest speaker during the regularly scheduled Acting for Musical Theatre Class, Room 338; 3 to 6 p.m., lecture, "Broadway: A History of the Musical," with video and audio clips, in the Wildcat Theatre; 6 to 7 p.m., reception in the same venue.
- Friday: 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., guest speaker during History and Literature of Musical Theatre, including a question and answer session (Room 276, Social Science Building), and 3 to 5 p.m., master class (same format as the Wednesday afternoon class), Room 338, union building.
The master class fees are $10 each and seating is limited to 100. All other events are open to the general public and free to audience members.
To register for the master classes, contact C.L. "Luckey" Heath at 621-0060 or via e-mail at (luckey58@aol.com).