I just got the part of Winthrop Paroo for the music man junior high musical. Any

Question:I am a mid-range baritone, but can climb to Winthrop's high notes if i really try.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I am a mid-range baritone, but can climb to Winthrop's high notes if i really try.

Winthrop is a shy and lonely kid, who steers clear of adults generally because they're bigger than he is, and avoids other kids because they make fun of his lisp. The only people he can open up to are his mother and sister, until he meets Harold Hill, who treats him like a real person. He's a normal kid, just a bit of a loner.
Don't overdo the lisp--Winthrop's not a comic part, and he's not a freak--when he talks, he'll try and control the lisp, but sometimes it gets the better of him. When he's close to people he doesn't know, he'll probably duck or turn his head a little so he doesn't have to look into their eyes; if he has to talk to them, he'll have to prepare himself a beat to speak---he knows the lisp will happen, and he's nervous about it. When he's with the people he knows and loves, he'll relax and not worry about the lisp; when he's excited and happy, all his pent-up feelings will let loose and he'll be energized, and the lisp will become full-blown (and a little wet).
Even when Winthrop's disillusioned about Harold Hill, he'll still be able to talk to him easily, which might surprise him a little. Harold likes him and understands him, and he's the only real male role model Winthrop has.
It's a great part, if you play it as real as you can, and as true as you can.

Stay short. He's supposed to be about eight.

Hey, I'm trying out for The Music Man, too. Glad you got the part!! (Sorry, I don't have any advice to give but to practice. lol. Break a leg!)

Really ham up the lisp. It comes off adorable, trust me. Good luck!

Fun part!!! If you're worried about the high notes, try singing with your "head voice". Don't bury the sound in your chest, move it out towards your teeth. It doesn't have to be too "musical". You can almost talk Winthrop's songs. "Gary, Indiana" might be tough when you hit the line "Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York, or Rome". Just bounce off of the "Rome" lightly. You'll do great! Have a blast with it!

Play up the lisp, and understand Winthrop's backstory. It is he, not Marian, who is the most changed by Hill, and it is he who is the most hurt and betrayed by Hill. The poor kid just needs a Father,and the revelation that Hill is just a fast-talking con-man really hits him hard.

Of course, it is through Winthrop that Hill earns his redemption.

Meredith Willson based Winthrop on himself as a child.

But, of course, that is "acting" stuff. Just be charming and lisp a lot.