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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke
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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#1
Posted: 12/6/17 at 11:12am

I've always been curious about this production for 2 reasons: 1) Because it starred Dick Van Dyke, and 2) because it was 1 of a handful of productions from City Centre that were eligible for Tony Awards.

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#2
Posted: 12/6/17 at 11:39am

Although on paper you would think that Dick Van Dyke would be perfect casting as Harold Hill --- in reality he was surprisingly terrible!  At 55 years old, he was about 20 years too old for the part --- and his performance was humor-free and stiff as a board.  Meg Bussert was a wonderful Marian, and Christian Slater was Winthrop!

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#4
Posted: 12/7/17 at 7:08am

Can't see Mr Van Dyke as Harold Hill. Who would you have cast?

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#5
Posted: 12/7/17 at 9:45am

For your viewing pleasure, here's about 7 minutes of footage of Dick in City Center's 1980 Broadway revival of THE MUSIC MAN: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29XZCBAX0Qs

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#6
Posted: 12/7/17 at 9:54am

The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke

The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke

The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke

The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke

The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#7
Posted: 12/7/17 at 12:54pm

I saw Mr. VanDyke in this in San Francisco. All I remember is that it was dull and dreary and very disappointing.  I can't say whether VanDyke was drunk that night or not. 

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#8
Posted: 12/7/17 at 1:10pm
He seems too nice for the role, really.
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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#9
Posted: 12/7/17 at 1:19pm

Delete 

Updated On: 12/7/17 at 01:19 PM
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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#10
Posted: 12/7/17 at 2:55pm

Van Dyke was totally miscast in the role. He played Harold Hill as if he was playing Albert Peterson in BYE BYE BIRDIE. More a happy go lucky type with absolutely no sign of growth in the role. His negative qualities were nowhere in sight. He was much more suited for the role of Marcellus Washburn performing SHIPOOPI. IIRC his reviews were not good in Los Angeles and New York.

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#11
Posted: 12/8/17 at 12:42am

God, I was bored (and it's one of my favorite shows)!

But to demonstrate how clueless the entire production was, when 
it finally came time for the boys band to play a barely recognizable
"Minuet in G" at the end, Winthrop let loose with a jazz riff worthy of
Wyntom Marsalis, totally violating the reality of the play.

It isn't Mary Poppins and Willson is isn't pretending that the Think
System will make world class musicians out of small town boys.
Jeeze! It's a show about the power of faith.

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The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke#12
Posted: 12/8/17 at 2:03pm
Maybe Harold Hill wasn't his role, but Dick Van Dyke remains one of my all time favorite musical and comic actors.


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