The Shaarai Shpielers will perform the 26th annual Purimspiel, "The Music [Ha]-Man," on Sunday, March 16, at 1:30 p.m., at Congregation Shaarai Shomayim, 75 E. James St., Lancaster. Attendees should enter the building through the James Street doors.

In this year's production, the famous 1957 Meredith Willson Broadway musical, "The Music Man," meets the Book of Esther. There is an opening for a new queen, and Hadassah, who is an attractive and fearless Jewish 17-year-old, wants to apply, even though she knows that a Jewish woman has never been chosen and probably never will be. She changes her name to Esther, keeps her religion a secret, and wins the contest held to choose the queen. Meanwhile, Haman, the mean, anti-Semitic prime minister, convinces the king to issue a decree to kill all the Jews. Esther and her older cousin, Mordechai, who raised her, must save their people from death.

Many of the major songs from "The Music Man" - such as "Till There Was You," "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Marian the Librarian," "Ya Got Trouble," "Shipoopi," "Good Night, My Someone," "The Wells Fargo Wagon," "Iowa Stubborn," "Gary, Indiana," "Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little," and three barbershop numbers - will be presented as parodies.

The lead roles are played by Lisa Miller as Hadassah/Esther; Stu Blumenthal, King Ahasuerus; Harvey Scolnick, Haman; David Stameshkin, Mordechai; and Kevin Babione, Elin Ketels, Jason Meyer, and Alan Levine as the four barbershop quartet members. Also performing are Missy DePietro, Noah Goldman, Ilene Kochel, Rachel Levine, C. Tyler Mandel, Schuyler Nissly, Rabbi Jack Paskoff, Abigail Rackliffe, Elizabeth Rackliffe, Janine Riben, Elaine Rostolsky, Colleen Stameshkin, Benjamin Weaver, Jeff Woodman, Sally Woodman, and Alice Yerman.

Levine is the musical director, and Nissly and Babione are the technical directors. Aaron Zinner, Tama Etra, and Jacqueline Ketels coordinate special props, and Bethany Kristich is assistant director. The show is produced, directed, and written by David Stameshkin.

The performance is free and open to the public.