Published in Your Child Today July 2008
By Christina MacCarrick

The Music Man

You know the saying, “I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!” Well, depending on what you order at The Music Man Singing Ice Cream Shoppe, in Lavallette, you may find yourself yelling, “I want some Hot Fudge baby this evening, and I need some Hot Fudge baby tonight!” Take your family to The Music Man and enjoy some good old-fashioned ice cream with a twist! The Music Man provides a friendly and warm atmosphere for the young and old, serving up vaudeville style performances and ice cream sundaes to your liking.

“Every show performed here is different and is basically done on the fly,” explained The Music Man owner Aggie Roberts. “You could come here seven nights a week and see something different each time you come, because each show features a different performer and group performances.” One thing that is certain to stay the same, however, is the enthusiasm of the cast and crew, as well as the quality time you will spend with your family.

You will be treated to a menu featuring everything from “naked” ice cream in over fifteen flavors to delicious over-the-top sundaes, along with a nightly performance of Broadway and upbeat American tunes sung by performers who dance and sing their way around the entire shop. You may even find them singing directly to you and incorporating you into their show! “It’s a family entertaining experience that appeals to all ages,” says Aggie’s wife, Josephine.

Aside from the nightly Cabaret show, which begins every night this summer at 6pm, The Music Man performs it’s own production, “Ice Cream Musical,” on Friday nights at 6pm featuring songs from the popular Disney Movie “High School Musical” and the Broadway Show “Hairspray.” Performances run every 45-minutes from 6pm until midnight.

“We also have daily performances that are apart of our Children’s Fairy Tale Series,” added Aggie. “At 4pm Monday through Friday, we offer a Children’s Performance where each child is treated to an afternoon snack of one scoop of ice cream as our cast members either get into character as Pirates and Princesses, or bring alive some of their favorite storybooks.” Aggie explained. On Mondays, bring your little one dressed up as his or her favorite Pirate, Princess or Super Hero as the cast and crew themselves get all dressed up along with them. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, your child can experience one of their favorite storybooks come alive as the cast visually tells stories such as Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, and Cinderella, and turns into character right in front of their eyes. On Thursdays, a special Puppet Theater performance of The Little Mermaid is offered as well as a special guest appearance from The Music Man’s mascot “FRED”, which stands for Feel Good Every Day! You can even end your child’s week with a birthday celebration at Alice’s Un-Birthday Party!

Going into their 6th season, and serving over 40,000 patrons in the summer of 2007 is something that owners Aggie & Josephine are very proud of. “My wife actually purchased this very building [the shop’s location] for my birthday present in 2003. I was working in corporate America at the time, but had the desire to combine my love and experience in performing arts along with my wife’s experience as a digital artist and make us a career from that,” Aggie explained. Aggie took his experiences of working at Princeton's McCarter Theatre's Outreach Department, and also as a dessert theater performer in Hopewell, NJ, along with his educational background in Theater and Education, and the concept of “The Music Man” was born. “From the start, Josephine and I knew this would not fail. We had our hearts in it, and it empowered us as a couple to try something new. This summer is our 6th and best season yet, and I have never once looked back on our decision” Aggie added.

The cast and crew have also completely bought into the concept and truly love what they do. They are the heart and soul of the ice cream shop, doing everything from performing daily to hundreds of patrons, to working hard at their individual production positions. “We provide our cast with a complete educational program. Not only do they perform each and every day, but they each hold a different production position, which gives them a well-rounded summer learning experience. Some of the positions include company manager and box office manager.” Aggie added that he and his wife have even set up housing for the cast for the entire summer, and their program has attracted performers from all over the country.

New to their menu this year is a Coffee Shop that you can feel free to stop into any time of the day. And once the summer is over, be sure to ask about The Music Man’s education outreach program. You can have The Music Man and it’s cast brought right to your child’s school this winter to perform character education and leadership programs.

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