Two-time Tony Award, Grammy Award, and Emmy Award winner Hugh Jackman will make his highly anticipated return to Broadway in what is widely agreed to be the greatest role ever created for an actor in the history of musical theater: Professor Harold Hill in Meredith Willson’s beloved classic, The Music Man. Two-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy superstar Sutton Foster will star as Marian Paroo. The production, directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, with choreography by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, will begin performances on September 9, 2020, and officially open on October 15, 2020.
One of the most universally cherished treasures of the American musical theater, The Music Man was an instant smash hit when it premiered on Broadway on December 19, 1957. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including the prize for Best Musical, and ran for 1,375 performances. The Smithsonian Institution ranks The Music Man as one of the "great glories" of American popular culture.
Unlike, say, the daringly iconoclastic revival of Oklahoma! that played Broadway a few years back, this production of Meredith Willson's classic musical proudly revels in its old-fashionedness. Why mess with something that isn't broken, it seems to be asking, especially since we've got our stars as our ace in the hole. From his first surprise entrance (at least to those who have never seen the musical before) to his showstopping numbers 'Ya Got Trouble' and 'Seventy-Six Trombones' to his climactic moment, when he stares directly at the audience with a smile that seems to contain more gleaming teeth than there are stars in heaven, Jackman has the audience in the palm of his hand. And when Sutton finally gets to shed her character's decorousness and let loose her tremendous dancing chops, there's definitely no more trouble in River City.
Director Jerry Zaks' production is a throwback in just about every sense, for good and for bad. There are elaborate sets (by Santo Loquasto, who also did the costumes) with backdrops that suggest the work of Grant Wood - at one point, two chorus members even re-create 'American Gothic.' There's an orchestra of two dozen musicians and a cast of 40 that sometimes seems as crowded upstage as one of those high school productions that accepts everybody who auditions. Disconcertingly, there are also six principals - Tony winners all - who reinforce the glaring lack of diversity in 21st-century Broadway revivals as much as in 1912 Iowa.
1957 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1961 | West End |
London Production West End |
1965 |
Regional Revival |
|
1965 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1980 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2000 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2019 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Broadway Center Stage Revival Washington, DC (Regional) |
2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Santo Loquasto |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater | Hugh Jackman |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Sutton Foster |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Jerry Zaks |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | The Music Man |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Santo Loquasto |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | The Music Man |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Santo Loquasto |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Hugh Jackman |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Jayne Houdyshell |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Sutton Foster |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Caroline, or Change |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The Music Man |
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