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The Music Man
The Musical man is a Musical written by Meredith Willson. It opened on Broadway's at the Majestic Theater on December 19, 1957. The lead role of Harold Hill was played by Robert Preston, and his love interest Marian Paroo was played by Barbara Cook. The show ran for 1,375 performances and was made into a film in 1962.
The musical rocketed Meredith Willson to fame and brought him a lot of acclaim and recognition. He became one of the most talked about playwrights in American Musical Theater. Btu coming up with a creation like the The Music Man was not an overnight project. It had been many years in the making. The idea for the show was first suggested by Frank Loesser. Loesser was fascinated by Willson's tales of growing up in his small Iowa town. So work on the play began, but it took another eight years before Willson was satisfied with the script. In this period he had gone through more than 30 revisions and written more than 40 different songs.
The Music Man is set in 1912 and is the story of a traveling salesman and con-man, Harold Hill. He visits a small Iowa town which he visits to sell musical instruments. Using his fast-talking style and cunning mind, "Professor" Harold Hill convinces the town folk that he can teach their children how to play in a marching band. But he states that unless the town follow his advice the children of River City will be doomed forever. He lures the parents into buying the musical instruments and expensive uniforms in order to form the River City Boys Band. However he does not expect to fall in love with the spinster librarian, Marian Paroo. But his credentials are questioned when chaos breaks loose and he must prove himself to the people of River City.
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Show Biography - The Music Man
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 The Music Man returned to Broadway in 1976 starring Ian Richardson. The 2000 version of the The Music Man premiered on Broadway, it was directed by Susan Stroman. The cast consisted of Craig Bierko, Rebecca Luker, Max Casella, Paul Benedict, Ruth Williamson, Katherine McGrath, Ralph Byers, Clyde Alves, Kate Levering, and Michael Phelan. For a while the title role was also played by Eric McCormack of the popular television comedy, "Will & Grace".
The play has adapted to the silver screen twice. It was first adapted in 1962, the case consisted of Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold, Paul Ford, Charles Lane, and a very young Ron Howard. The second version was adapted by Marion Hargrove and directed by Morton DaCosta. The movie was a huge hit and widely acclaimed. It won the Academy Award for Original Music Score and was nominated for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color, Best Costume Design, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Picture and Best Sound. The Music Man was developed for the screen again in 2003 in the form of a television movie. The movie starred Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, and Victor Garber and was directed by Jeff Bleckner, the movie also won several Emmy nominations.
In its initial run in 1957 has made this musical one of the classics of American Musical theater. The Broadway run won 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, beating off competition from other nominees like West Side Story. The show was also awarded the Grammy Award for "Best Original Cast Album". Don't miss out, it is a show that will stay in your memory for a ling time. Watch this fantastic musical, contact your on-line ticket vendor and get the tickets soon.
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For more information , enjoy the official homepage of The Music Man
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