''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naïve

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. ...

townsfolk, promising to train the members of the new band. Harold is no musician, however, and plans to skip town without giving any music lessons. Prim librarian and piano teacher Marian sees through him, but when Harold helps her younger brother overcome his lisp and social awkwardness, Marian begins to fall in love with him. He risks being caught to win her heart. In 1957, the show became a hit on Broadway, winning five

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

s, including Best Musical, and running for 1,375 performances. The cast album won the first Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and spent 245 weeks on the Billboard charts. The show's success led to Broadway and West End revivals, a popular 1962 film adaptation and a 2003

television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...

. ''The Music Man'' is frequently produced by both professional and amateur theater companies and is a popular choice for high school and college productions.

Background

Meredith Willson was inspired by his boyhood in Mason City, Iowa, to write and compose his first musical, ''The Music Man''. Willson began developing this theme in his 1948 memoir, ''And There I Stood With My Piccolo.''Suskin, Steven. ''Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre'', pp. 460-64. Schirmer Books, New York, 1990. He first approached producers Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin for a television special, and then

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

producer Jesse L. Lasky. After these and other unsuccessful attempts, Willson invited Franklin Lacey to help him edit and simplify the libretto. At this time, Willson considered eliminating a long piece of dialogue about the serious trouble facing River City parents. Willson realized it sounded like a lyric, and he transformed it into the

patter song The patter song is characterised by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note. It is a staple of comic opera, especially Gilbert and Sullivan, but it ...

" Ya Got Trouble". Willson wrote about his trials and tribulations in getting the show to Broadway in his book ''But He Doesn't Know the Territory''. The character Marian Paroo was inspired by Marian Seeley of Provo, Utah, who met Willson during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, when Seeley was a medical records librarian. In the original production (and the film), the School Board was played by the 1950 International Quartet Champions of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

. Robert Preston claimed that he got the role of Harold Hill despite his limited singing range because, when he went to audition, they were having the men sing "Trouble". The producers felt it would be the most difficult song to sing, but with his acting background, it was the easiest for Preston. Originally titled ''The Silver Triangle'', early versions of the story focused on a partially paralyzed boy, Jim Paroo, whom the townspeople wanted to consign to an institution for children with disabilities. The plot revolved around Harold Hill finding a musical instrument that the boy could play: a

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

. In some drafts, Jim was also nonverbal. Willson had an epiphany while reflecting on the "Wells Fargo Wagon" song, in which a lisping youngster sang one of the verses. "Here's this kid who isn't even identified," recalled Willson in his 1957 memoir. "Just a lisping kid but you get hit with some magic anyhow. Imagine if the lisping kid were somebody we know – some character in the story."Willson (1957). Willson suddenly realized that this youngster could be the child with the disability. In the finished book, Winthrop Paroo is almost silent and hesitates to speak because of a lisp, but unexpectedly bursts into song when the Wells Fargo wagon arrives with his new cornet.

Productions

Joan Weldon-Forrest Tucker in The Music Man

Original Broadway production

After years of development, a change of producers, almost forty songs (twenty-two were cut), and more than forty drafts, the original Broadway production was produced by

Kermit Bloomgarden Kermit Bloomgarden (December 15, 1904 – September 20, 1976) was an American theatrical producer. He was an accountant before he began producing plays on Broadway including ''Death of a Salesman'' (1949), ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1955), ' ...

, directed by Morton DaCosta and choreographed by Onna White. ''The Music Man'' opened on December 19, 1957, at the

Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to: Australia * Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished * Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed ...

. It played at the Majestic for nearly three years before transferring to The Broadway Theatre and completing its 1,375 performance run there on April 15, 1961. The original cast included Robert Preston (who reprised his role in the 1962 screen adaptation) as Harold Hill, Barbara Cook as Marian,

Eddie Hodges Samuel "Eddie" Hodges (born March 5, 1947) is an American former child actor and recording artist (his 1961 cover of the Isley Brothers’ “I'm Gonna Knock on Your Door” reached #12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100), who left show business as ...

as Winthrop, Pert Kelton as Mrs. Paroo, Iggie Wolfington as Marcellus Washburn and David Burns as Mayor Shinn. Preston left the show in January 1959 and was replaced by Eddie Albert for 18 months. In June 1960 Preston returned for two weeks until his successor Bert Parks could replace him. Parks finished the Broadway run while Preston was busy with the screen version. Paul Ford was a replacement for David Burns as Mayor Shinn, later reprising the role in the film version. Howard Bay designed the sets. Don Walker orchestrated the score. The musical won five

s, including Best Musical, winning in the same year that '' West Side Story'' was nominated for the award. Preston, Cook and Burns also won. Liza Redfield became the first woman to be the full-time conductor of a Broadway pit orchestra when she assumed the role of music director for the original production's final year of performances beginning in May 1960. The long-running American tour began in 1958, starring Forrest Tucker as Hill and Joan Weldon as Marian."Productions"
Ovrtur.com, accessed January 12, 2016

First Australia and UK productions

The first Australian production ran from March 5, 1960, to July 30, 1960, at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, and at the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney from December 13, 1960, to February 4, 1961. The first UK production opened at Bristol Hippodrome, transferring to London's West End at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receivin ...

on March 16, 1961, starring

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment ...

, Patricia Lambert, C. Denier Warren, Ruth Kettlewell and Dennis Waterman. It ran for 395 performances at the Adelphi.

Subsequent productions

A two-week revival at New York City Center ran in June 1965, directed by

Gus Schirmer Jr. Gustave Schirmer IV (1918–1992), better known as Gus Schirmer Jr., was a director, producer, and talent agent in film and theatre. Schirmer directed and produced plays that ran Broadway theatre, On Broadway and Off Broadway. He also helped launc ...

and starring Bert Parks as Harold Hill.

Doro Merande Doro Merande (born Dora Matthews, March 31, 1892 – November 1, 1975) was an American actress who appeared in film, theater, and television. Early years Born in Columbus, Kansas, as Dora Matthews, she was the daughter of a minister. A ...

and Sandy Duncan played, respectively, Eulalie and Zaneeta Shinn. A three-week revival, directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd, ran in June 1980, also at City Center. The cast included

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and telev ...

as Hill,

Meg Bussert Meg Bussert (born October 21, 1949) is an American actress, singer and a university professor. Early life Born in Chicago, Illinois,Christian Slater as Winthrop,

Carol Arthur Carol Arata (August 4, 1935 – November 1, 2020), known professionally as Carol Arthur, was an American actress, mainly recognizable in supporting roles in films directed by Mel Brooks. Early life Arthur was born in Hackensack, New Jersey and ...

as Mrs. Paroo, and Iggie Wolfington (who played Marcellus in the 1957 production) as Mayor Shinn. In 1987, a Chinese translation of the musical was staged at

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

's Central Opera Theater. New York City Opera staged a revival from February to April 1988, directed by Arthur Masella and choreographed by

Marcia Milgrom Dodge Marcia Milgrom Dodge is an American director, Choreographer and stage writer. After working in regional theatre, Dodge directed and choreographed her first Broadway production, a revival of ''Ragtime'' in 2009. The production received four Helen ...

, starring Bob Gunton as Hill, with Muriel Costa-Greenspon as Eulalie and

James Billings James Billings 1932-2022 was an American operatic baritone, librettist, and opera director. He began his career in the late 1950s in Boston and later became a member of the New York City Opera where he performed regularly from the early 1970s thro ...

as Marcellus. A Broadway revival, directed and choreographed by

Susan Stroman Susan P. Stroman (born October 17, 1954) is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director and performer. Her notable theater productions include '' The Producers'', '' Crazy for You'', ''Contact'', and '' The Scottsboro Boys''. She is ...

, opened on April 27, 2000, at the

Neil Simon Theatre The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was built for ...

, where it ran for 699 performances and 22 previews. The cast included

Craig Bierko Craig Philip Bierko (born August 18, 1964) is an American actor and singer. Early life Bierko was born in Rye Brook, New York where his mother Pat ran The Harrison Players, a local community theatre. After graduating Blind Brook High School, ...

(making his Broadway debut) as Hill and Rebecca Luker as Marian. Robert Sean Leonard and Eric McCormack portrayed Hill later in the run. The production was nominated for eight Tony Awards but did not win any. In 2008, there was a revival at the Chichester Festival Theatre, England, starring

Brian Conley Brian Paul Conley (born 7 August 1961) is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Conley has been the host of ''The Brian Conley Show'', as well as presenting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions. In his 40-ye ...

as Hill and Scarlett Strallen as Marian.

2022 Broadway revival

Another Broadway revival began previews on December 20, 2021, and opened on February 10, 2022, at the Winter Garden Theatre. The production stars Hugh Jackman as Hill and Sutton Foster as Marian with

Jefferson Mays Lewis Jefferson Mays (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, two Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Obi ...

as the Mayor,

Jayne Houdyshell Jayne Houdyshell (born September 25, 1953) is an American, Tony-winning actress known for her performances on stage and screen. Houdyshell made her Broadway debut in the 2005 production of ''It's a Wonderful Life''. The following year she earn ...

as Mrs. Shinn, Shuler Hensley as Marcellus,

Marie Mullen Marie Mullen (born 1953) is an Irish actress. She is known for co-founding the Druid Theatre Company, located in Galway, Ireland. She is also known for her performance in the 1998 production of ''The Beauty Queen of Leenane'', for which she re ...

as Mrs. Paroo, Benjamin Pajak as Winthrop, Remy Auberjonois as Charlie Cowell,

Phillip Boykin Phillip Boykin (sometimes credited as Phillip Lamar Boykin) (born November 2, 1968) is an American bass-baritone, broadway, gospel, jazz and opera singer, film and stage actor. Early life One of ten children, Boykin grew up in Greenville, South Ca ...

as Olin Britt and Eddie Korbich as Jacey Squires. It is produced by Kate Horton, Barry Diller, and David Geffen and directed by

Jerry Zaks Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing '' The House of Blue Leaves'', ''Lend Me a Tenor'', and '' Six Degr ...

, with choreography by

Warren Carlyle Warren Carlyle is a British director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the 2009 revival of ''Finian's Rain ...

. It features sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto, lighting by Brian MacDevitt, and sound by Scott Lehrer. The production was set to open in 2020 but was delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. It suspended performances from December 28, 2021 through January 5, 2022, after Jackman tested positive for COVID-19. The production is set to close on January 15, 2023. The production received mixed reviews but was a success at the box office, taking in $3.5 million in ticket sales during the week of March 22, 2022, more than any show since the pandemic began. It was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, but it did not win any. A special Theatre World Award for "Outstanding Ensemble" was presented to the 21 cast members making their Broadway debuts in the revival. On the negative side, Jesse Green, in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', declared the revival, "flat" and "old-fashioned". He criticized Jackman's "smart but strangely inward performance" and felt that Foster's witty and front-facing performance was compromised by her vocal miscasting. Johnny Oleksinski of '' The New York Post'' described the production as a "let down", writing, "Sometimes the show is dark and moody, determined not to have too much fun with a story about a con artist who wins in the end despite his misdeeds. At others, it's ... painfully corny". Frank Scheck of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' gave the production a lukewarm review, calling Jackman "neither a great singer nor a particularly accomplished dancer" and commenting that Foster's "voice doesn’t have the crystalline beauty of such predecessors as Barbara Cook and Shirley Jones, and many of the songs aren’t really suited for her". He concluded, however, that "the show ironically feels urgently timely." On the positive side, in '' Variety'', Marilyn Stasio gave the production a rave review, praising all the performances, direction and designs, and calling it "vintage Broadway, but gussied up in grand, glorious style".

Synopsis

Act I

In the early summer of 1912, aboard a train leaving Rock Island, Illinois, Charlie Cowell and other traveling salesmen debate whether modern conveniences are making their profession more difficult. "Professor" Harold Hill is discussed as one whose sales skills make him immune from such changes ("Rock Island"). Charlie says that Hill is a con man who promises to form boys' marching bands, then skips town after taking payments for instruments and uniforms. Upon the train's arrival in River City, Iowa, a passenger leaves the train with a suitcase labeled "Professor Harold Hill". After townspeople of River City describe their reserved, "chip-on-the-shoulder attitude" ("

Iowa Stubborn "Iowa Stubborn" is a song by Meredith Willson from his 1957 musical ''The Music Man''. It is the first sung number in the show, following the show's unusual spoken opening, "Rock Island". The piece is sung in a schottische or "soft-shoe" rhythm. ...

"), Harold sees his old friend and

shill A shill, also called a plant or a stooge, is a person who publicly helps or gives credibility to a person or organization without disclosing that they have a close relationship with said person or organization. Shills can carry out their operatio ...

, Marcellus Washburn, who has "gone legit" and now lives in the town. Marcellus tells Harold that the only person who might expose him is the only trained musician in town, Marian Paroo, the librarian who gives piano lessons. He also informs Hill that a new pool table was just delivered to the town's local billiard parlor so, to launch his scheme, Harold convinces River City parents of the "trouble" that can come from a pool table in the community (" Ya Got Trouble"). Harold follows Marian home, attempting to flirt with her, but she ignores him. Marian gives a piano lesson to a little girl named Amaryllis while arguing with her widowed mother about her high "standards where men are concerned"; she mentions the man who followed her home ("Piano Lesson/If You Don't Mind My Saying So"). Marian's self-conscious 10-year-old brother Winthrop arrives home. Amaryllis, who secretly likes Winthrop but teases him about his lisp, asks Marian to whom she should say goodnight on the evening star, since she doesn't have a sweetheart. Marian tells her to just say goodnight to her "someone" ("Goodnight, My Someone"). The next day, bumbling Mayor Shinn and his overbearing wife Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn lead the festivities for Independence Day at the high school gym (" Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean") but are interrupted by a firecracker set off by troublemaker Tommy Djilas. Harold takes the stage and announces to the townspeople that he will prevent "sin and corruption" from the presence of the pool table by forming a boys' band ("Ya Got Trouble eprise Seventy-Six Trombones"). Mayor Shinn, who owns the billiard parlor, tells the bickering school board to get Harold's credentials, but Harold gets them to sing as a

Barbershop Quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment, or a cappella. The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

to distract them ("Ice Cream/Sincere"). Harold also sets up Zaneeta, the mayor's eldest daughter, with Tommy, and persuades Tommy to work as his assistant. After another rejection by Marian, Harold is determined to win her ("The Sadder But Wiser Girl"). The town ladies are very excited about the band and the ladies' dance committee that Harold plans to form. He mentions Marian, and they imply (falsely, it turns out) that she had an affair with a now-deceased miser, who willed the library building to the town -- but left all the books to Marian. They warn Harold that she advocates "dirty books" by "

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

, Rabelais and Balzac" ("Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little"). The school board arrives to review Harold's credentials, but he leads them in song and slips away ("

Goodnight, Ladies "Goodnight, Ladies" is a folk song attributed to Edwin Pearce Christy, originally intended to be sung during a minstrel show. Drawing from an 1847 song by Christy entitled "Farewell, Ladies", the song as known today was first published on May 16, ...

"). The next day, Harold walks into the library to woo Marian in earnest ("Marian the Librarian"). For a moment, she forgets her decorum and dances with Harold and the teenagers. Harold kisses her; when she tries to slap him, she accidentally hits Tommy instead. With Tommy's help, Harold signs up all the boys in town to be in his band, including Winthrop. Mrs. Paroo likes Harold and tries to find out why Marian is not interested. Marian describes her ideal man ("My White Knight", rewritten for the film version as "Being in Love"). She sets out to give Mayor Shinn evidence against Harold that she found in the ''Indiana State Educational Journal'', but they are interrupted by the arrival of the Wells Fargo wagon, which delivers the band instruments ("The Wells Fargo Wagon"). When Winthrop is so happy about his new cornet, and totally abandons his shyness and self-consciousness, Marian begins to see Harold in a new light. She tears the incriminating page out of the Journal before giving the book to Mayor Shinn.

Act II

The ladies rehearse their classical dance in the school gym while the school board practices their quartet ("It's You") for the

ice cream social An ice cream social (also known as an ice cream party) is a planned event, the primary focus of which is ice cream served to the guests. It is often a neighborhood event or welcoming party, normally held during the summer. History Ice cream soci ...

. Marcellus and the town's teenagers interrupt the ladies' practice, taking over the gym as they dance (" Shipoopi"). Harold grabs Marian to dance with her, and all the teenagers join in. At the end of the dance, the Mayor angrily denounces Tommy's relationship with his daughter. Regarding Winthrop's cornet, Marian later questions Harold about his claim that "you don't have to bother with the notes". He explains that this is what he calls "The Think System", and he arranges to call on Marian to discuss it. The town ladies ask Marian to join their dance committee, since she was "so dear dancing the Shipoopi" with Professor Hill ("Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little" eprise. They have reversed their opinions about her books, and they eagerly tell her that "the Professor told us to read those books, and we simply adored them all!" That night, the school board tries to collect Harold's credentials again, but he gets them to sing again and slips away ("Lida Rose"). Marian, meanwhile, is sitting on her front porch thinking of Harold ("Will I Ever Tell You?"). Winthrop returns home after spending time with Harold and tells Marian and Mrs. Paroo about Harold's hometown ("Gary, Indiana"). As Marian waits alone for Harold, traveling salesman Charlie Cowell enters with evidence against Harold, hoping to tell Mayor Shinn. He only has a few minutes before his train leaves, but stops to flirt with Marian. She delays him so he won't have time to deliver the evidence, eventually kissing him. As the train whistle blows, she pushes him away. Charlie angrily tells Marian that Harold has a girl in "every county in Illinois, and he's taken it from every one of them – and that's 102 counties!" Harold arrives, and after he reminds her of the untrue rumors he's heard about her, she convinces herself that Charlie invented everything he told her. They agree to meet at the footbridge, where Marian tells him the difference he's made in her life ("

Till There Was You "Till There Was You" is a show tune written in 1950 by Meredith Willson, originally entitled "Till I Met You." It was originally recorded October 25, 1950, by Meredith Willson & his Orchestra and Eileen Wilson. The song was retitled and used ...

"). Marcellus interrupts and tells Harold that the uniforms have arrived. He urges Harold to take the money and run, but Harold refuses to leave, insisting, "I've come up through the ranks... and I'm not resigning without my commission". He returns to Marian, who tells him that she's known since three days after he arrived that he is a fraud. (Harold earlier claimed to have graduated from the Gary Conservatory in 1905, but Gary, Indiana, was not founded until 1906.) Because she loves him, she gives him the incriminating page out of the ''Indiana State Educational Journal''. She leaves, promising to see him later at the Sociable. With his schemes for the boys' band and Marian proceeding even better than planned, Harold confidently sings "Seventy-Six Trombones". As he overhears Marian singing "Goodnight My Someone", Harold suddenly realizes that he is in love with Marian; he and Marian sing a snatch of each other's songs. Meanwhile, Charlie Cowell, who has missed his train, arrives at the ice cream social and denounces Harold Hill as a fraud. The townspeople begin an agitated search for Harold. Winthrop is heartbroken and tells Harold that he wishes Harold never came to River City. But Marian tells Winthrop that she believes everything Harold ever said, for it did come true in the way every kid in town talked and acted that summer. She and Winthrop urge Harold to get away. He chooses to stay and tells Marian that he never really fell in love until he met her ("Till There Was You" eprise. The constable then handcuffs Harold and leads him away. Mayor Shinn leads a meeting in the high school gym to decide what to do with Harold, asking, "Where's the band? ''Where's the band?''" Marian defends Harold. Tommy enters as a drum major, followed by the boys in uniform with their instruments. Marian urges Harold to lead the River City Boys' Band in

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

's Minuet in G. Despite the boys' limited musical ability, the parents in the audience are nonetheless enraptured by the sight of their children playing music. Even Mayor Shinn is won over, and, as the townspeople cheer, Harold is released into Marian's arms ("Finale").

Music

Musical numbers

; Act I * "Rock Island" – Charlie and Salesmen * "

" – Townspeople * " (Ya Got) Trouble" – Harold Hill and Townspeople * "Piano Lesson" – Marian, Mrs. Paroo and Amaryllis * "Goodnight, My Someone" – Marian * " Seventy-Six Trombones" – Harold, Boys and Girls * "Sincere" – Barbershop quartet (Olin, Oliver, Ewart, Jacey) * "The Sadder-But-Wiser Girl" – Harold and Marcellus * "Pickalittle (Talk-a-Little)" – Eulalie, Maud, Ethel, Alma, Mrs. Squires and Ladies of River City * "

" – Quartet * "Marian The Librarian" – Harold, Boys and Girls * "My White Knight" – Marian * "The Wells Fargo Wagon" – Winthrop and Townspeople ; Act II * "It's You" – The Quartet, Eulalie, Maud, Ethel, Alma and Mrs. Squires * " Shipoopi" – Marcellus, Harold, Marian and townspeople * "Pickalittle (Talk-a-Little)" (reprise) – Eulalie, Maud, Ethel, Alma, Mrs. Squires and Ladies * "Lida Rose" – Quartet * "Will I Ever Tell You" – Marian * "Gary, Indiana" – Winthrop, Mrs. Paroo, Marian * "It's You" (reprise) – Townspeople, Boys and Girls * "

" – Marian, Harold * "Seventy-six Trombones/Goodnight, My Someone" (reprise) – Harold and Marian * "Till There Was You" (reprise) – Harold * "Finale" – Company ''Notes:''
As this musical concerns a

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, o ...

, the orchestration for several of the numbers includes band instruments. "Lida Rose" and "Will I Ever Tell You", sung first separately and then simultaneously, are examples of Broadway counterpoint (songs with separate lyrics and separate melodies that harmonize and are designed to be sung together). Similarly, "Pickalittle" and "Good Night Ladies" are also sung first separately, and then in counterpoint. Willson's counterpoint is lampooned, along with two counterpoint song pairs from Irving Berlin musicals, in the 1959 musical '' Little Mary Sunshine'', where ''three'' counterpoint songs are combined: "Playing Croquet," "Swinging" and "How Do You Do?" "Goodnight, My Someone" is the same tune, in waltz time, as the march-tempo "Seventy-six Trombones". In the 1962 movie, the 1980 and 2000 revivals, and some amateur and regional productions, "Gary, Indiana" is sung in Act 1 by Harold (1962 movie) and Mrs. Paroo (between "Marian the Librarian" and "My White Knight"), with Winthrop singing a reprise of it in Act 2 (with Mrs. Paroo and Marian Paroo in 2000).

Casts and characters

Casts

Main characters

Secondary characters

Setting and popular culture references

The ''Music Man'' is set in the fictional town of River City, Iowa, in 1912. The town is based in large part on Willson's birthplace, Mason City, Iowa, and many of the musical's characters are based on people that Willson observed in the town. The "river" in River City is probably the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

near Davenport, Iowa: the Rock Island conductor's announcing "River City, Iowa! Cigarettes illegal in this state" implies crossing the Mississippi from Rock Island, Illinois, into Iowa. The year 1912 was a time of relative innocence, as recalled in 1957 after two world wars, the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and the arrival of atomic weapons. The musical includes numerous references to popular culture of the time. For example, in making his pitch, Harold Hill lists popular musicians and composers: Gilmore, Pat Conway, Giuseppe Creatore,

W.C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. Handy was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musici ...

and John Philip Sousa. Some of the cultural references are anachronistic: "Trouble" contains references to both '' Captain Billy's Whiz Bang'', a monthly humor magazine that did not begin publication until October 1919, and the nonalcoholic " near-beer" Bevo, which was first brewed in 1916. In addition, Rafael Méndez (referred to by Hill as "O'Mendez," a great "Irish" trumpeter) was six years old in 1912.

Recordings

The first recording of "

" was released before the original cast album version. Promotional copies of the 45 rpm single, Capitol P3847, were released on November 26, 1957, even before the Broadway production had premiered. Produced by Nelson Riddle, it featured his orchestra and 17-year-old vocalist Sue Raney. The original cast recording was released by Capitol Records on January 20, 1958, in stereophonic &

monaural Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

versions and held the #1 spot on the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

for twelve weeks, remaining on the charts for a total of 245 weeks. The cast album was awarded "Best Original Cast Album" at the first Grammy Awards ceremony in 1958 and was inducted in 1998 as a Grammy Hall of Fame Award winner. In 1959, jazz composer and arranger Jimmy Giuffre released '' Jimmy Giuffre and His Music Men Play The Music Man'', consisting of jazz arrangements of tunes from the musical. "Till There Was You" was covered by Anita Bryant in 1959 as a single for

Carlton Records Carlton Records was a record label based in New York City that was formed by former RCA Records A&R head Joe Carlton in 1957. Guaranteed Records was a sublabel of Carlton. Carlton Records lasted until 1964. The most notable recording artists on C ...

, reaching No. 30 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online stream ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

covered "Till There Was You" on their 1963 album '' With the Beatles'' (issued on '' Meet the Beatles!'' in the United States). Rosemary Willson later told ''The New York Times'' that her husband's estate had received more money from the royalties of the Beatles' recordings of "Till There Was You" than it did from the musical's original production."The Music Man, On Stage, Screen – and LP"
''The Community Player'', May 2012, accessed February 24, 2017 A cast recording featuring the 2022 revival cast was recorded at Manhattan Center and is expected to be released by Accidental Jacket Entertainment, produced by Robert Sher, Brian Gillet and Huck Walton.

Adaptations

Preston starred in the 1962 film adaptation, with Shirley Jones as Marian, Buddy Hackett as Marcellus, Hermione Gingold as Mrs. Shinn and

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of '' The Twilight Zone''. ...

as Winthrop. The success of the 2000 stage revival prompted a 2003 television film starring Matthew Broderick as Hill and Kristin Chenoweth as Marian, with Victor Garber, Debra Monk, and Molly Shannon in supporting roles.

Reception

Though '' West Side Story'' had opened nearly three months earlier, ''The Music Man'' captured audiences, critics and five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. ''The New York Times'' theatre critic Brooks Atkinson wrote in his review "If Mark Twain could have collaborated with Vachel Lindsay, they might have devised a rhythmic lark like ''The Music Man'', which is as American as apple pie and a Fourth of July oration.... ''The Music Man'' is a marvelous show, rooted in wholesome and comic tradition." Walter Kerr of the ''

Herald Tribune ''Herald'' or ''The Herald'' is the name of various newspapers. ''Herald'' or ''The Herald'' Australia * ''The Herald'' (Adelaide) and several similar names (1894–1924), a South Australian Labor weekly, then daily * '' Barossa and Light Heral ...

'' glowingly described the opening scene of the musical: "It's the beat that does it. The overture of ''The Music Man'' drives off with a couple of good, shrill whistles and a heave-ho blast from half the brass in the pit, with the heartier trombonists lurching to their feet in a blare of enthusiasm. The curtain sails up to disclose the most energetic engine on the Rock Island Railroad (circa 1912) hurtling across the proscenium with real smoke pouring out of its smokestack and real steam rolling along the rails". Kerr called Preston "indefatigable: he's got zest and gusto and a great big grin for another slam-bang march tune". Robert Coleman of the '' New York Daily Mirror'' wrote that the producer "made a 10-strike in landing Robert Preston for the title role", stating that Preston "paces the piece dynamically, acts ingratiatingly, sings as if he'd been doing it all his life, and offers steps that would score on the cards of dance judges". Frank Aston of the '' New York World-Telegram and Sun'' declared "It deserves to run at least a decade", especially praising Barbara Cook's performance as Marian: "If all our stack-tenders looked, sang, danced, and acted like Miss Barbara, this nation's book learning would be overwhelming". John Chapman of the '' Daily News'' pronounced ''The Music Man'' "one of the few great musical comedies of the last 26 years", stating that '' Of Thee I Sing'' (1931) "set a standard for fun and invention which has seldom been reached. Its equal arrived in 1950 – ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on " The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also b ...

'' – and I would say that ''The Music Man'' ranks with these two". In the '' Journal-American'', John McClain deemed the show "a whopping hit. This salute by Meredith Willson to his native Iowa will make even '' Oklahoma!'' look to its laurels".

In popular culture

''The Music Man''s popularity has led to its being mentioned, quoted, parodied or pastiched in a number of media, including television, films and popular music.

Television

''The Music Man'' has been parodied in a number of TV shows, including ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'' episode " Marge vs. the Monorail", written by Conan O'Brien. At some point during the second Broadway revival, O'Brien was approached about playing the role of Harold Hill for a brief run, but he ultimately could not fit it into his schedule. He says, on the DVD commentary track for the aforementioned ''Simpsons'' episode, that it was the hardest choice he's ever had to make professionally, because ''The Music Man'' is one of his favorites. O'Brien did, however, as host of the 2006 Emmy Awards, sing a parody version of "Ya Got Trouble" in his opening monologue targeting NBC and their slide in the ratings. The television program '' Family Guy'' has parodied the musical at least three times. In the episode " Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows", Lois chastises Brian's high standards in a spoof of "Piano Lesson". In another episode, " Patriot Games", Peter showboats after scoring a touchdown by leading a stadium full of people in a rendition of " Shipoopi", complete with choreography from the film. In Episode 22 of '' Boston Legal'', "Men to Boys", Alan Shore sings a parody of the song "Trouble" to convince patrons of a restaurant not to eat the salmon. Several ''Music Man'' songs were used in '' Ally McBeal'', for example in the season 2 episode "Sex, Lies and Politics" in which lawyer John Cage spurs the jury into singing "Ya Got Trouble" with him. Season 2 Episode 15 (2012), "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000", of the TV show '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', makes numerous allusions to ''The Music Man'', including a song based on "Ya Got Trouble".

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

Keith Olbermann Keith Theodore Olbermann (; born January 27, 1959) is an American sports and political commentator and writer. Olbermann spent the first 20 years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for CNN and for local TV and ...

has numerous times referred to

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...

TV host Glenn Beck as "Harold Hill" on the air. Robert Hanson stars in a community theater production of ''The Music Man'' in the Netflix original show ''

Grace and Frankie ''Grace and Frankie'' is an American comedy television series created by Marta Kauffman and Howard J. Morris for Netflix. The series stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin as the eponymous Grace Hanson and Frankie Bergstein, two aging women who f ...

''.

Film

In the 1960 film '' The Apartment'', Jack Lemmon's character is given tickets to the show but is stood up at the Majestic Theatre. In ''

Romy and Michele's High School Reunion ''Romy and Michele's High School Reunion'' is a 1997 American comedy film directed by David Mirkin and starring Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, and Janeane Garofalo. The plot revolves around two 28-year-old girls who appear to have not achieved much ...

'' (1997), Michele sings "The Wells Fargo Wagon". The next year, in ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tell ...

'' (1998), Robbie teaches Rosie to sing "'Til There Was You" for her 50th wedding anniversary. The 2006 mockumentary/ documentary ''

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

'' centers on actor Jeff Goldblum as he attempts to secure a green card for his Canadian actor/singer/dancer girlfriend,

Catherine Wreford Catherine Anne Wreford (born June 26, 1980) is a Canadian actress, dancer and singer. Early life Wreford was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in June 1980. She graduated from Kelvin High School and later trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ball ...

, by appearing with her as the leads in a summer regional theatre production of ''The Music Man'' in Goldblum's hometown of

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Music

The political satire group the

Capitol Steps The Capitol Steps was an American political-satire group that performed from 1981 to 2020. Most of the Capitol Steps' material parodied well-known contemporary songs, usually introduced with a short skit. The songs were interspersed with other ro ...

parodies numerous songs from musicals, including ''The Music Man''. To evoke turn of the 20th century Main Street USA at some of its theme parks around the world, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts uses songs from the show, including " 76 Trombones" and "Wells Fargo Wagon". Bill Hayes parodied "Rock Island" in a 1959 industrial musical ''Good News About Olds'' written by

Max Hodge Max Hodge (February 12, 1916 – August 17, 2007) was an American television writer who worked on shows including ''The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.'', ''CHiPS'' and '' Mission: Impossible'', and is perhaps best known for creating Mr. Freeze for '' Ba ...

, with Oldsmobile product terminology serving as the "whatayatalk". The North Iowa Band Festival in Mason City, Iowa, is a yearly event celebrating music with a special emphasis on marching bands. Willson returned several times to his home town of Mason City during the 1950s to participate in the event, including leading the "Big Parade", and the stars of the film version participated in the event in 1962.Skipper, John
"North Iowa Band Festival"
nibandfest.com, May 25, 2008 (archived)

Awards and honors

Original Broadway production

1980 Broadway revival

2000 Broadway revival

2022 Broadway revival

Citations

Sources

*Willson, Meredith. ''But He Doesn't Know The Territory'' Minneapoli

2009 (Putnam, 1959, ASIN: B0007E4WTO, orig. published 1957).

External links

*
Meredith Willson Official Website

The Music Man Square and Museum

The Music Man Foundation

*
The Music Man
' at the Music Theatre International website {{DEFAULTSORT:Music Man, The 1957 musicals American plays adapted into films Broadway musicals Fiction set in 1912 Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Musicals by Meredith Willson Original musicals Plays set in Iowa Plays set in the 1910s Plays set in the United States Tony Award for Best Musical Tony Award-winning musicals

Background

Productions

Original Broadway production

First Australia and UK productions

Subsequent productions

2022 Broadway revival

Synopsis

Act I

Act II

Music

Musical numbers

Casts and characters

Casts

Main characters

Secondary characters

Setting and popular culture references

Recordings

Adaptations

Reception

In popular culture

Television

Film

Music

Awards and honors

Original Broadway production

1980 Broadway revival

2000 Broadway revival

2022 Broadway revival

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links