3/16/19

I didn’t think producer Scott Rudin could top himself after the perfect pairing of Bette Midler and Dolly Levy in the recent mega-popular production of Hello, Dolly! But that was Till There Was Hugh: he’s landed musical man Hugh Jackman for The Music Man, bringing together a bona fide Broadway sensation with one of the greatest musicals and musical roles ever written. The show is set to open in October 2020. 

The Music Man is a unique presence in the Broadway canon. The book, lyrics and music were unusually all by one man, Meredith Willson, based on memories of his childhood in innocent turn-of-the-century (as in 1900) Iowa – a time that was as far away then as this 1957 show is to us. A sentimental tear-jerker on the surface, it has a canny construction with a compelling story, a brilliant musical style unlike any other show before or since (starting with an unforgettable opening number in pseudo-rap), characters that we truly care about, and a starring role that requires a larger-than-life actor with energy to burn. Robert Preston, the original Harold Hill, left big shoes to fill (he was terrific in the movie version as well), and neither the subsequent Broadway nor television version came close to fulfilling that.

They’ve hit the jackpot this time. This isn’t necessarily a natural role for Jackson – I had expected something with a more macho factor like The Pajama Game (which has the added benefit of a shirtless scene) or Guys & Dolls – and doesn’t offer vocal opportunities like his wonderfully sung Carousel. But he has the charisma, likeability and star power to pull it off. Seventy-six trombones won’t be nearly enough to upstage him. I had thought that he would opt for an NBC Live musical, which is only a one-night affair reaching tens of millions of people. He’s committed himself instead to a full year on Broadway doing what he loves best, and I’m happy to have been wrong.

With Dolly!, Rudin was working with a show with iconic staging and choreography that were, for better or worse (mainly the latter), largely left untouched. He’s bringing back virtually the same creative staff for The Music Man, including director Jerry Zaks and choreographer Warren Carlyle, but they will have more leeway this time. This is a solid family show in the best of ways, enjoyable for every age group, and it shouldn’t involve any updating or feminist tinkering like the current Kiss Me, Kate or My Fair Lady, though I never underestimate the blinkered whims of that crowd.

The only real reservation will be the pricing. Dolly! ended up charging nearly $1,000 a ticket and sold out anyway, courtesy of the many uber-wealthy who clearly deserve their seats more than you — think of it like competing for college with kids of the Hollywood elite. And the show this time will feature an actor who’s not only a proven Broadway phenomenon but a Hollywood star at the peak of his powers, not necessarily the case with the Divine Miss M (not that we cared), and just coming off a hugely successful movie musical, The Greatest Showman. There may be a lottery for a limited number of cheap seats, a common practice these days, but those of you little people who lose that roll of the dice will just have to hope there’s a filmed broadcast.

One more note. Back in its day, The Music Man won the Tony Award over the revered West Side Story, a choice that I think history has vindicated – better book, better lyrics, and more memorable characters (the music is a tossup). It looks that the two shows will be running against each other again soon, with a revival of West Side Story due from avant-garde Belgian director Ivo van Hove and the very same producer Scott Rudin. They’re opening the same year (2020) but in different theatrical seasons, depriving us of the pleasure of watching them compete for a Tony again. But, along with the current production of My Fair Lady (which in its day was still selling out when those shows opened), we seem to be in a period of late 1950s chic. The respective creative teams suggest a safely conventional (hopefully) The Music Man vs. a violent, radically reconceived and modernized West Side Story. Bring ’em on.