River City, Iowa, in 1912 has always been synonymous with "trouble."

You know, the kind of trouble that starts with the presence of a new pool table in the River City billiard hall, a development sure to bring about the moral decline of the unsuspecting Iowans.

It's the sort of trouble that involves a con man named Harold Hill, who rolls into town to convince gullible parents to purchase musical instruments and band uniforms for their tone-deaf sons.

It's the kind of trouble where Professor Hill's cheating, dishonest schemes gradually give way to romance and love for an "old maid" librarian.

And, best of all, it's trouble that includes comedy, dancing and an evening full of old, familiar tunes from a beloved Broadway musical show.

Thanks to the venerable youth theater organization, The Hi-Liners, local audiences now have the same toe-tapping opportunity for "trouble" right here in Burien.

On Sept. 8, the Hi-Liners opened their latest large-cast extravaganza with Meredith Wilson's The Music Man, an affectionate musical tribute to small-town life during the early years of the 20th century.

Harold Hill (Brad Walker) steps off the train in River City after hearing that Iowa is the ultimate test of a salesman's skill. With the sole intention of conning local residents into pre-paying for music lessons, instruments and uniforms (and then skipping town with their money), Hill sweet-talks his way into the lives and hopes of the citizens of River City.

Well, almost all the folks in River City, that is.

Marian Paroo, (Lynne Randall), their pretty librarian and piano teacher, is the only one who seriously doubts Hill's claims of "musicmanship" and sets out to prove him a liar and a cheat.

But, as enemies often do, Hill and Marian (the librarian) soon find their distrust and disdain slowly blossom into love. Neither Hill nor Marian will ever be the same.

The Hi-Liners have done it again. Director Kathleen Edwards has taken a cast of 45 young people and transformed them into a company of energetic, entertaining performers.

Brad Walker's Harold Hill is every bit the charming con artist you have come to expect in the role. Projecting confidence and personality in every scene, Walker is a promising young actor/singer who, I hope, will continue to pursue musical theater in the future.

Lynne Randall's Marian has a lovely singing voice. She carries her musical numbers admirably, which will surely delight audiences during her many solos.

Fine (and enjoyable) comic support is provided by Matthew Hopkins and Katie Heinich as Mayor Shinn and his wife Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn. Alexzandra Gorski gives a stand-out performance as the Shinn's daughter, Zaneeta.

But the most engaging moments of The Hi-Liners' Music Man are watching a talented troupe of young people of all ages sing, dance and act their way on stage-obviously having fun every minute. If that's what Harold Hill calls "trouble," then that's the kind we need more of here in Burien City.

The Music Man continues through Sunday, Sept. 23, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. at the Highline Performing Arts Center, 401 S. 153rd St.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.hi-liners.org.