THE MUSIC MAN 🤩

My theatre arts students used to love to prank and scare me whenever they could. Oh, they knew I was the one in charge and held the responsibility of pushing them to be the best that they could be. They always gave me their permission to drive and press them as far as I could whether they were acting on stage, as a member of the tech crews, or just as a student in my class taking my course as a fine arts credit in order to complete all requirements for graduation. Because they gifted me their trust every day, I would return the favor and take their respectful and loving jokes whenever they deemed it necessary. I can’t begin to tell you the countless times, I watched improvised parodies of my personality. There were innumerable videos created for every final dress rehearsal. They took great effort to be creative, truthful, and kind. Their innovative creations usually cracked me up. I laughed out loud beside them. We were a partnership, and maintained an unbreakable bond. Working with any of them was a blast. 

I do have a very strong memory of one techie who was one of my right hands. I knew he would do anything I asked of him, and there were times i put a lot upon his shoulders. There were several times I wanted to give my techies the experience of what it would be like to have to unload a huge rented set and put it all together within a matter of two days before we opened. This is what happens when musicals or plays go on tour across the country. It is truly hard work to unload and have all the complicated pieces correctly done within hours.  Some of my students wanted to do this for a future career. It was imperative for me to show them what their life would be like. 

I chose THE MUSIC MAN as my first Broadway set rental. I also rented five backdrops as well. Those had to be properly weighted and rigged too. It was very exciting. The most extraordinary set piece was the train that opened the show.  It was very unique how it was constructed. When the curtain opened, all the audience would see was the front of the engine car. It was extremely realistic. We used lighting and our fog machine for extra effects. The train was supposed to make audiences feel like it was coming down the track  straight towards them at the front of the stage. Then on cue, it would flip open like a story book and the audience was immediately transported inside an old-fashioned passenger car filled with traveling salesmen. It was brilliantly constructed.  

Each performance night, my special student in charge had the power to take that train to the edge of our stage and wow our audience, and each night he did exactly that. But he also wanted to give me a heart attack too. I would sit in the back row of my auditorium and swear the entire set would roll right off the stage and plunge into the orchestra pit that was filled with twenty musicians. This memorable moment grew closer and closer to he edge with every performance. The closing night, I would swear I saw his ecstatic face through the fog.  My heart was in my stomach. It was a matter of trust he would say to me. This opening scene is etched in my memory box for eternity. It was spectacular theatre magic that the audience appreciated each night by cheering. Myself included in spite of my heart palpitations. 

The musical play and the movie of THE MUSIC MAN are very similar. I fell in love with the story, the amazing music, the gorgeous costumes, dazzling dance numbers, and the depicted early 1900’s time period the moment I watched the film version in 1962. I knew I would recreate and direct it one day in my own theatre. I had no doubt. I just had to be patient and wait until I had the perfect potential cast members and the budget to pull it all off. I can be tenacious when I have a vision stuck in my head. A little over thirty years later, my dream became a reality. Every time I see THE MUSIC MAN it’s like a time portal appears and whoosh… I am once again sitting in my director’s chair all over again. 

THE MUSIC MAN was the brainchild of Meredith Wilson. He thought of this concept back in 1948.  He dreamed about creating a play featuring Mason City, Iowa, a small town where he grew up and was raised. Over forty songs were originally written for THE MUSIC MAN. Not all of them made their way in either the play version or the film. THE MUSIC MAN did however, start out as a Broadway play and ran for over 1000 performances winning the Tony aAward for Best Musical as well as Leading Actor, Robert Preston as Professor Harold Hill. The film version was nominated for six Oscars and brought home the gold for Best Musical Score. It also won a Golden Globe for Best Musical. Needless to say, TMM was a huge financial success. 

Morton DaCosta (AUNTIE MAME) was the director of THE MUSIC MAN, both for the Broadway stage and the film version. He only wanted Preston (VICTOR/VICTORIA) as the Professor. The Warner Brothers’ studio execs kept suggesting other possibilities, such as Cary Grant, but DaCosta would not listen or agree. Hollywood caved and the rest was history. DaCosta did have to compromise and accept Shirley Jones (CAROUSEL, ELMER GANTRY, THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY) as MARIAN THE LIBRARIAN. She was more well known than Barbara Cook who played the role on Broadway. 

Meredith Wilson was considered a musical genius. He could create any song necessary in a short order that would push the story content forward while filling in all the necessary back stories about the characters. Wilson made more money on the song TIL THERE WAS YOU  than his salary from both the film and the play combined. This was because The Beatles chose to sing his song during their American debut on the Ed Sullivan show. Paul McCartney still owns the publishing rights to Wilson’s song to this day. But in my mind that’s okay. TROUBLE, 76 TROMBONES, GOOD NIGHT MY SOMEONE, THE WELLS FARGO WAGON, and SHEPOOPIE are just as legendary. 

Preston was the perfect Harold Hill. His extraordinary energy, fast-paced speaking, and positive energy made the double-talking traveling salesman come to life. No one can ever forget the image of Preston in his glorious red band uniform high-stepping down Main Street while sharply pumping his tall baton in the air. Preston simply oozed pure joy in every frame. Audiences can’t help smiling and chuckling while watching. Myself included. 

Most people don’t know that Jones was pregnant with Patrick Cassidy during the entire film schedule. Her costumes had to be continually altered and redesigned to hide her baby bump. Jones was superbly stunning and the chemistry between she and Preston was off-the-chart. My only complaint was that they were both so much older than seven-year-old Ron Howard who played Jones’ character Marian’s little brother Winthrop. Howard was incredible as the sweet, lisping, saliva-spitting, shy child, but the age difference never made sense. Marian was supposed to be 26. I never understood how many years apart their characters were. It just didn’t feel realistic, but I adored Howard nevertheless. He was outstanding. 

The supporting ensemble  was phenomenal as well. The quirky, SHEPOOPIE, Buddy Hackett, the divine, hat wearing Hermione Gingold, the four-score and seven years ago Mayor, Paul Ford, the luck of the Irish mom, Pert Kelton, the juvenile, dancing delinquent, Timmy Everett, the  fabulous singing barbershop vocal pipes of the Buffalo Bills, and the “ye gods” Susan Luckey were all perfectly cast. They all raised the bar and brought a massive jolt of acting, singing,  and dancing skills to the screen each time they appeared. Each production number was spectacular, exciting, fantastic entertainment. Bravo. 

THE MUSIC MAN has reappeared on Broadway recently with hunky Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the leading roles. My son, Aaron, and I were lucky enough to see them on one of our many New York trips. I have to admit how magnificent they both were especially since I am badly, deeply, in love with Hugh Jackman, but I have to give credit where it is due. THE MUSIC MAN will forever be remembered as Preston’s iconic role of a lifetime. THE MUSIC MAN is hands down one of the best musicals ever created. It is a sensational, sweet, sentimental classic. It never feels old or dated because a good, musical, rom-com is timeless. My former, special techie and I still stay connected on FB. I have stood quietly in the background witnessing him grow up. I would still put my trust in him any day of the week even though he probably turned more hairs on my head grayer than I’d like to admit. 

THE  MUSIC MAN is available on Amazon Prime.