A Brief History of “The Music Man”
Meredith Wilson enjoyed sharing stories about his hometown, Mason City, Iowa, with his friends and colleagues. One of his friends, the great composer Frank Loesser (composer of “Guys & Dolls”) found Meredith’s stories so enjoyable he suggested they would make a great musical.
Wilson spent eight years perfecting “The Music Man”. In fact, he created over forty drafts of the show prior to its Broadway premiere. Once the how was slated for Broadway, the search for the perfect Harold Hill began. Some possible Harold Hills considered for the original Broadway version included Danny Kaye, Gene Kelly, Ray Bolger, Jackie Gleason, and Milton Bearle. However, a Broadway rookie named Robert Preston eventually won the role.
The original Broadway production of “The Music Man” opened at the Majestic Theatre on December 19, 1957, with Robert Preston playing the role of Harold Hill, and Barbara Cook as Marion. The show ran for 1,375 performances, winning 8 Tony Awards. In fact, the show swept the Tony Awards, even beating out “West Side Story”.
The movie was made into an Academy Award winning movie starring Robert Preston & Shirley Jones. In 2000, the show was revived for Broadway, directed and choreographed by Susan Strommen. A made for television version with Matthew Broderick & Kristen Chenoweth was broadcast in 2003.
A very successful production was performed in 2002 with the students at Philadelphia Academy Charter School. It was performed at Farrell Elementary and featured students varying in age from Kindergarten through 8th grade. So, technically, today’s performance is a revival of that production!
This year’s production features over 100 cast members in grades 3-8, and a crew of ushers, stage crew and assistants consisting of students from both the Elementary and High School buildings numbering around 30. We began casting in early December, and have been working hard despite challenging weather! We hope you enjoy our show!
