The Music Man: Overture to Rock Island

The Music Man: Overture to Rock Island is a classic rock musical by Meredith Willson. The story follows con man Harold Hill as he tries to swindle the town of Rock Island, Illinois into buying instruments and uniforms for a children’s band he has no intention of ever forming. The townspeople eventually catch on to Hill’s scheme, but not before he’s able to teach them the importance of music and community. The Music Man: Overture to Rock Island is a fun,

The Music Man: An Introduction

The Music Man is a musical with a book by Meredith Willson and music and lyrics by Meredith Willson. The story is set in the fictional town of River City, Iowa in 1912. It tells the story of con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys’ band leader and convinces the people of the town to buy instruments and uniforms for a band he has no intention of forming. When Harold’s lies are exposed, he must face the music and come clean to the townspeople.

The Music Man was Willson’s first musical and was a huge success, running for 1,375 performances on Broadway and winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The original Broadway production starred Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The show has been revived several times, most recently on Broadway in 2000.

The Music Man: The Characters

The Music Man follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he attempts to con the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a children’s marching band that he has no intention of organizing. The townspeople, led by Marian Paroo, the librarian and Harold’s eventual love interest, eventually catch on to his scheme. The story follows Harold’s efforts to make good on his promises and ultimately win the heart of Marian.

The Music Man is populated with a host of colorful characters, each with their own quirks and foibles. Marian Paroo is the level-headed voice of reason in the midst of chaos. She is initially distrustful of Harold, but eventually comes to see him as a good man. Harold Hill is a charming scoundrel whose audacious personality masks his inner insecurity. He is determined to win Marian’s heart, but finds himself hampered by his own lies.

The supporting cast includes:

Tommy Djilas – A member of the barbershop quartet who takes a liking to Marian.
Charlie Cowell – A rival salesman who seeks to expose Harold’s fraud.
Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn – The town’s gossip monger who delights in other people’s misfortunes.
Marcellus Washburn – The mayor of River City who reluctantly goes along with Harold’s scheme.
Zaneeta Shinn – Tommy Djilas’ girlfriend and one of River City’s most popular girls.

The Music Man: The Plot

The Music Man is a 1957 musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys’ band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naïve Midwestern townsfolk before skipping town with the cash. Harold is caught when he attempts to stop his Boy Scout Troop from marching in the town’s Fourth of July parade. A young librarian, Marian Paroo, witnessing Hill’s Ruffian act, confronts him, and discovers his true identity. The town realizes that it has been duped, but Hill manages to escape. However, his conscience dictates that he return to River City toface the consequences of his actions

The Music Man: The Music

The Music Man is a musical with a book by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey, lyrics by Meredith Willson, and music by Meredith Willson. The story is set in River City, Iowa in 1912, and follows con man Harold Hill as he attempts to swindle the townspeople into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he has no intention of organizing. The title refers to Hill’s sales pitch: that he is a “music man” in the business of selling band instruments and uniforms to naïve Midwesterners.

The Music Man premiered on Broadway on December 19, 1957, at the Majestic Theatre, starring Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The original Broadway production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, winning five: Best Score (Meredith Willson), Best Actor in a Musical (Robert Preston), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (David Burns), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Barbara Cook), and Best Light Opera. It ran for 1,375 performances between December 1957 and April 1961. A popular film adaptation starring Preston and Shirley Jones was released in 1962.

The Music Man: The Legacy

The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys’ band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naïve Midwestern townsfolk, promising to train the members of the new band. When he flees just before the first practice session, Marian sees through him but plays along, hoping to arrange matters so that her City’s school board fires Harold. Harold begins to fall in love with Marian. Lawyer and piano salesman Charlie Cowell tries to expose Harold as a fraud but Harold manages to keep up the ruse.

The Music Man: The Film Adaptation

The Music Man is a 1962 American musical film adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name. The film was directed by Walter Lang and starred Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, and Buddy Hackett. The screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman.

While the film was not a box office success upon its initial release, it has since been considered a classic and has been praised for its direction, acting, music, humor, and screenplay.

The Music Man: The Broadway Revival

The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys’ band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naïve Midwestern townsfolk, promising to train the members of the new band. Harold is no musician, however, and plans to skip town without giving any music lessons. The townspeople discover his true con just as he leaves, but not before handsome leading lady Marian sees through him. But Harold has fallen for Marian himself, so he returns to clean up his mess—and wins her in the process.

The show was a huge hit on Broadway in 1957–58, running for 1,375 performances; it led to revivals on Broadway and elsewhere. The original production won six Tony Awards including Best Musical and launched the careers of Robert Preston (Harold Hill) and Barbara Cook (Marian Paroo). It spawned many adaptations and copies throughout the world.

The Music Man: In Popular Culture

The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys’ band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with their money. Harold is caught when he attempts to flee without paying for the uniforms. He is brought before a judge, who sentences him to return all the money he has swindled, work off his debt to the townspeople by teaching them how to play in a marching band, and fall in love with Marian Paroo, the librarian.

The Music Man was first performed on Broadway in 1957 and was made into a movie in 1962 starring Robert Preston as Harold Hill and Shirley Jones as Marian Paroo. The movie was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The overture to “Rock Island”, the opening number of Act II in the Broadway production, became popular as an instrumental pop tune under the title “(Theme from) The Music Man”.

In popular culture, “The Music Man” has been lampooned several times. A send-up of “The Music Man” called “The Librarian” was featured in an episode of The Simpsons titled “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment”, which aired on February 7, 1991. In the episode, Harold Hill is replaced by Otto Mann, who tries to con Springfield Elementary School into buying faulty instruments and uniforms.

The Music Man: Critical Reception

The Music Man was a smash hit on Broadway, running for 1,376 performances and winning five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The original cast recording was also a best-seller and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The show’s success led to revivals on Broadway (in 1980 and 2000), in the West End (in 1961 and 2008), and in regional theatre productions throughout the United States. In addition, The Music Man has been adapted for film (in 1962) and television (in 2003).

The critical reception to The Music Man has been largely positive, with critics lauding its memorable score, clever book, and charming performances. Writing for The New York Times, Brooks Atkinson praised the show as “the happiest musical in years” and praised Meredith Willson’s score as “full of melodious tunes that catch the ear immediately.” Atkinson also praised Robert Preston’s performance in the lead role of Harold Hill, calling him “supremely attractive and amusing.” In a review for Time magazine, Jack Kroll wrote that The Music Man is “one of the freshest [musicals] in years” and “a thoroughly delightful evening.” Kroll went on to praise Willson’s score as “witty” and “infectious,” as well as Preston’s performance, calling him “charming” and “energetic.”

The Music Man: Further Reading

The Music Man is a classic Broadway musical with a memorable score by Meredith Willson. The overture, which is played at the beginning of the show, is a medley of some of the most popular songs from the musical. If you’re interested in learning more about The Music Man, here are some further reading suggestions:

-The Music Man: The Definitive Guide to the Classic Broadway Musical by Scott Miller
-The Making of The Music Man by Laurence Maslon
-Meredith Willson: The Unsinkable Music Man by Carol Kort
-Something’s Coming, Something Good: A Celebration of Meredith Willson and The Music Man by Neil Baldwin