The Music Man
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- This article is about the Broadway musical. For other uses, including the film adaptation, see Music Man.
The Music Man is a musical play with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson (story by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey), which opened on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre on December 19, 1957. The original company starred Robert Preston (in his musical debut) as 'Professor' Harold Hill and Barbara Cook as Marian Paroo. The show ran for 1,375 performances. Preston reprised his role in the 1962 film version.
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[edit] Plot summary
In 1912, "Professor" Harold Hill travels from town to town, taking pre-paid orders for musical instruments and uniforms, claiming that he will teach youngsters to play and form a town band. After arriving in River City, Iowa, Hill's scam is complicated when he becomes attracted to Marian Paroo, the local librarian, who recognizes him as the fraud he is. Although she recognizes his scheme, Marian falls in love with Harold Hill. Thanks to the determination of Charlie Cowell, a rival salesman, Hill is exposed and apprehended, but he stays to face the consequences. The band performs, and the parents are so proud and excited to hear their children play that they believe in Hill again, and he settles down with Marian.
[edit] Revivals
The Music Man returned to Broadway in 1976, featuring Dick Van Dyke. Craig Bierko had the title role in another revival that played Broadway in the 1999-2000 season, directed by choreographer Susan Stroman. Eric McCormack of television's Will & Grace filled in for Bierko for a short time while on hiatus from the TV show. In 2001 Robert Sean Leonard took the leading role. A tour starred Barry Williams of Brady Bunch fame.
A 2003 made-for-television adaptation of The Music Man starred Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth. This version reinstated "My White Knight" from the original Broadway score (in place of "Being in Love", which replaced it in the 1962 film).
[edit] Musical numbers
oodnight My Someone (Marian & Amaryllis) Scene Five
- Columbia, Gem of the Ocean (Ensemble)
[edit] Trivia
- The play’s fictional setting, River City, Iowa, is based in part on Willson’s own birthplace, Mason City, Iowa. The “river” in River City is likely the Mississippi, near Davenport, owing to the announcement by the Rock Island conductor: “River City, Ioway! Cigarettes illegal in this state.” This suggests that Hill and his fellow passengers have just crossed the Iowa border, across the historic bridge spanning the Mississippi from Rock Island to Davenport.
- American Libraries, the journal of the American Library Association, reported in the March 2005 issue the source of the name of the character Marian Paroo (aka Marian the Librarian) was Marian Seeley of Provo, Utah. Mrs. Seeley had been an acquaintance of Meredith Willson during World War II, when she was a medical records librarian. The magazine reported that Meredith Willson "dubbed her 'Marian the Librarian' at the time, then went on to include that character in his play."
- Mayor Shinn indicates that the year is 1912. However, the song "Ya Got Trouble" contains a reference to Captain Billy's Whiz-Bang. This was a monthly humor magazine that began publication in October 1919!
[edit] Pop culture
- The song "Till There Was You" was covered by the Beatles, with Sir Paul McCartney on lead vocal, in 1963 on their second album With the Beatles. It is the only showtune the Beatles covered.
- The Music Man is spoofed in The Simpsons episode "Marge vs. the Monorail" written by Conan O'Brien. At some point during the 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' episodes, that it was the hardest choice he's ever had to make professionally, because The Music Man is one of his all-time favorite things.[citation needed] O'Brien did, however, as host of the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, send up a parody version of "Ya got Trouble" in his opening monologue targeting NBC and their slide in the ratings.
- The song "Ya Got Trouble" was mentioned in the Boston Legal episode "Men To Boys," the Veronica Mars episode "Look Who's Stalking" and the Everwood episode "Vegetative State".
- In the Everwood episode "Fear Itself", Dr. Abbott prefers watching the classic The Music Man to contemporary eye candy XXX, declaring that Robert Preston is cool. He reminds his daughter Amy that she always liked the song "Shipoopi".
- The "Piano Lesson" musical number is spoofed in the Family Guy episode "Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows". Additionally, in the episode "The Patriot Games", "Shipoopi" was sung in an extended sequence by the character Peter Griffin to celebrate scoring a touchdown for the New England Patriots, and the characters recreated the famous choreography from the film.
- Several Music Man songs were used in Ally McBeal. [episode needed]
- Gilmore Girls, which uses the same backlot set as the Music Man film, frequently makes reference to the film.
- In the 1960's film The Apartment starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray, Lemmon gets stood up by MacLaine who was supposed to meet him for a date on Broadway to see Music Man.
- A television commercial for Oldsmobile's fullsize 1959 lineup featured an actor singing the praises of the Eighty-Eight and Ninety-Eight models in a tone very similar to "Ya Got Trouble."
