The Music Man

The Music Man is a musical with music, lyrics and a book by Meredith Willson. The book was written on the basis of Willsons memoirs And There I Stood with My Piccolo in 1948 with the support of the playwright Franklin Lacey. Willson began work on this project at the suggestion of Frank Loesser already in 1949.

The premiere took place on 19 December 1957 at the Majestic Theatre, New York City, held and was very successful with 1375 performances. The musical was produced by Kermit Bloomgarden production company in collaboration with Herbert Greene and Frank Loesser. Directed by Morton DaCosta, the choreography worked Onna White; in the role of Harold Hill Robert Preston was seen.

The Music Man was first performed in London's West End on 16 March 1961 at the Adelphi Theatre. The German -language premiere was held at the Theater Bremen on 16 March 1963. The translation is by Hanns Bernhardt, Peter Zadek and Hans Peter Doll.

Content

The piece is a tribute to the provincial America in the early 20th century. The Midwest, and in particular the U.S. state of Iowa, was presented City viewers in a stereotypical form for New York.

The title character Harold is a fraudulent commercial traveler, who tells the residents of rural towns with moral and educational forefinger the need for a boys band. Once this idea is talking generally, he offers to provide any such organizing and directing too. For this purpose he ordered musical instruments and uniforms and selling them a substantial profit. Once he has cashed, but he disappears because he can neither play an instrument nor give music lessons.

With this scam, he quartered himself in River City, Iowa. Soon he comes into conflict with the mayor because he denounces the pool table salon as a place of youth neglect with clear intentions. His proposal to form a boys band, is emerging as a leader and pushes only to the skepticism of the local librarian who holds Harold for a greyhound. This ensures their increased his attention and he succeeds to make love with him. Meanwhile, start the music exercises and the mayor must recognize that no one wants to hear his concerns; even his wife was persuaded by Harold to take over the management of the Ladies Dance Committee.

However, as a traveling salesman and other old rival Harold comes to town and wants to educate people about the fraudulent practices, the situation is getting worse. Harold threatens to be tarred and feathered out of town chased and held while trying to escape. When he is placed in the parish hall to the speech, the librarian enters for him and causes a change of mood: the small city-dwellers is clear that - even though Harold has made empty promises in terms of music teaching - he has provided a new sense of community. What began as a tribunal, turns into a rollicking musical parade.

The Music

Since the act by a brass band around is built, brass band plays a significant role. Willsons compositions extending from marching music on barbershop singing to Broadway ballads. Designed with irony and wit are all pieces in which the contrast between the provincial and the cosmopolitan population - torn Harold is played deploying his powers of persuasion in the form of musical verbal acrobatics. Robert Preston, who had neither sung nor danced, wore his games before the chanting.

Well-known musical numbers

  • Seventy -Six Trombones
  • Till There Was You
  • Shipoopi

Awards

  • The Broadway production won five Tony Awards in 1958 in the categories: Best Musical
  • Best Actor: Robert Preston
  • Best Supporting Actor: David Burns
  • Best Supporting Actress: Barbara Cook
  • Best Conductor and Musical Director: Herbert Greene
  • In 1959 she was in the category "Best Stage Technician " ( Sammy Knapp) awarded

Films

  • Morton DaCosta produced and directed the film version in 1962 on Warner Brothers Pictures, also with Robert Preston in the lead role
  • TV Production (ABC) in 2003 with Matthew Broderick
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