NSU theatre faculty member part of national tour of “The Music Man” 

NATCHITOCHES – Eddie Carney, the collaborative pianist in musical theatre at Northwestern State University, just completed a two-week stint as the substitute musical director for the national tour of “The Music Man.”  

Carney joined the show in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The final performances of this leg of the tour were at the Strand Theatre in Shreveport and in Galveston, Texas. 

Meredith Willson’s timeless, five-time Tony Award® winning musical comedy, “The Music Man” follows a notorious, fast-talking traveling salesman as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize – despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian Paroo, the local librarian. A true musical theater gem, the story’s relevance transcends generations with unforgettable songs including “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Trouble,” ‘Till There Was You,” “Pickalittle” and “Gary, Indiana.” 

Carney just completed his first year on NSU’s faculty. As a collaborative pianist, he is the accompanist for musical theatre voice lessons, voice classes, performance classes, and productions. 

Carney has worked for Big League Productions which is producing the national tour of “The Music Man” for 10 years. He has been part of the national tours of “The Cher Show,” “Legally Blonde,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “South Pacific,” “An American in Paris” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”Carney also worked on the American Tour of “A Chorus Line in” Tokyo, directed by Baayork Lee from the original 1975 Broadway cast and inspiration for the role of Connie Wong. 

The musical director is responsible for teaching the music to the cast, rehearsing the band or orchestra, and conducting performances.  

“While on tour for months, they must maintain the music, so it stays at the level it was set in New York,” said Carney. “A very important part of the job is making sure every music cue happens at the correct millisecond.” 

Carney said every Broadway orchestra plays along with a click track or metronome, operated by the conductor to fully ensure tempos are consistent. Certain light and video cues are also triggered automatically with the click via a technology called “timecode.” The music director is steering the ship, making sure the score is perfectly aligned to the action onstage. 

“As a substitute, I go out when I am available. I will be joining them again in December after the fall semester finals,” said Carney. “It is quite an asset to my students at NSU to have a professor continuing to work in the industry at this level. I can provide them with professional insights into what is happening in the industry right now to help them prepare for their own careers.” 

Carney said audiences around the country are still connecting with “The Music Man.” 

“There is a nostalgic element when sitting down to enjoy this classic musical,” he said. “It is a show about music bringing a community together, and it makes for a wonderful evening at the theater.” 

According to Carney, musical theatre has been in a transition phase since the success of “Hamilton” in 2015, with musicals becoming more conceptual every season.  

“Audiences are still showing appreciation for the traditional musical with new shows like ‘Schmigadoon,’ a loving parody of old musicals, winning the 2026 Tony Award for Best New Musical,” said Carney. “When older musicals are given proper treatment, they become more than just an old show and the heart that made it a hit in the first place truly shines through.” 

For more information on Northwestern State’s program in theatre and dance, go to nsula.edu/theatre.