Director-choreographer Susan Stroman staged a special curtain call for the 2000 Broadway revival of "The Music Man," with Craig Bierko and Rebecca Luker in the leading roles.
I probably saw this production about 25 times during its run. Most memorably, I saw it in the night Broadway re-opened after 9/11; there were maybe 200 people in the audience but you'd have thought the theater was full by the applause from the crowd after every act. When the flag unfurled at the end, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Truly a special evening in the theater.
After nearly two decades of work, dozens of story treatments and thousands of costumes meredith willson's the music man was finale finished it was first opening on broadway on december 18th 1957 and won five tony award included for best musical. it has remained one new york's greatest summer musicals and a beloved broadway classic.
THANK YOU for making this available. I had the privilege of seeing this "greatest curtain call in bdway history". A friend just turned 76 and I thought of this curtain call. So thankful to you for sharing. I was surprised to find it on You Tube. To Broadway's return hopefully not too far off!
Thanks for telling me about that I have to go to the store for a bit and then go to the card store and see if I really want me to get the money for the money for the money for the money for the card and the money for me and I can go to work tomorrow if that's Robbie Hagberg
Purchased a ticket for next year's revival with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster this morning, and will be seeing it on Friday, October 23rd 2020. I've been checking out clips of the last revival, and glad I found this video. Wish I could have seen this production, but I know for a fact that the new production will be wonderful as well. Hopefully as wonderful as this looks.
Hope you also found this from the same revival: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bAql9BCIWqg.html. It will be just over 20 years when the new production arrives, and I hope we all live long enough to see it and, at some point in the future, receive instructions on where to find it.
The Play contained many innovations such a training a real live horse pulling the wells fargo wagon and many band instruments in that were the state of the art for their day.
I have been looking for a video of this curtain call for so long! Such a wonderful, magical musical theatre moment concocted by Susan Stroman! It was truly brilliant of her to drive home the shows themes of music being all around and its transformative power by having the cast literally transform into an actual marching band, playing their own instruments. The fact that they can't play very well is perfect, just as it is in the climax of the show. It's not that they play well, it's that they PLAY. They, and in turn the surprised and delighted audience, recognize the positive power within the music that is indeed all around us.
Preston won a tony award for the music man in 1958 after which broadway cast him into several musicals including i do i do and as in mack in mable in 1975.
The Buffalo bills seen here as in perry como's kraft tv series were cast in men's group of the music man as the school board and the barbershop quartet.
Broadway new york's efforts had to make the music man into a broadway musical and actually it began in the majestic theatre in 1955 while rodgers and hammerstein's carousel performed its third revival in the 55th street's city center theatre where broadway's stage theatre making a musical imagination was at it's peek.
In 1960 the Broadway music company of the music man was offered by this pop singer. The man was frank Sinatra he never forgot those two rememberall songs by Willson called seventy six trombones Lida rose, will i ever tell you and till there was you.
In 1955 meredith willson required the story rights and by 1956 the opening in previews were begun, these never before seen costumes designing sketches on paper were renowned by tony award winning costume designer raoul pene du bois and were part of broadway's enitional work raoul pene du bois also won another tony award for a best costume designer of gypsy on broadway in 1959.
The Story of the music man began its life in iowa river city in july 4th 1912, the musical was wtitten by american book writer franklin lacey and music composer meredith willson.
Come join in the fun with us it's seventy six trombones leading in the big parade you are about to discover the behind the scenes story of how meredith willson's timeless tale of the music man was transformed into a broadway classic musical.
In this beginning version of the story professor harold hill walks off the train car and leaves the villian charlie cowell at the river city train station as seen these original after the song of rock island and what do you talk sequences.
By 1956 willson's synposis of the music man were completed however the play ran for one thousand three hundred and seventy five performances until 1961. after the closing night meredith willson brought the music man back into development progress continued through 1960 to 1961 including best revival of musicals and best replacement actors by renowing best conductor and music director herbert greene.
The warner brothers movie however had to make many of conventions of the stage version of the music man including marian paroo rather obviously played by shirley jones, the eight year old ron howard as winthrop paroo and academy award winner buddy hackett as marcellus washburn.
Meredith willson knew that for his version of the music man winthrop paroo would only be developed as a fully realized character, but from going through the overview people contributed winthrop paroo's development and each reveals the vent current conception of a little boy with a big lisp with all speech problems.
Another part of willson's enitional work was the show stopping musical number for professor harold hill and the townspeople, which is ultimately orchestrated by a famous classical music composer john phillip sousa the man who conducted seventy six trombones for famous boys bands for many years a music sequence for professor harold hill to organize the river city boys band in the madison gymnasium this early singature song was written by song writer leroy anderson along with meredith willson is reconstructed here using wilson's writing and sousa's orchestrating coupled with the fourth of july exercises and the ending of the first fourth of july concert.
This was indeed a spectacular curtain call. Though if I'm honest, I also kind of felt it was the only good thing about this production. That and Rebecca Luker's GLORIOUS singing.
Willson also didn't have to look far for the role of miss marian paroo, he found what he called the quiet and beautiful tony award winner from the 1950's in the same actress who played julie from the third revival of broadway's carousel. "Barbara Cook".
meredith willson himself noted the broadway story gave us many advantages over the edwardian times at the 1910 decades of a fastest talking confidence man attempting kids to join him in a band business which he currently was a famous statue in the park of iowa river city after his death.
The Use of Eddie Hodges as a live role for winthrop paroo was only part of the performing references used by the choreographer to bring the music man to the stage.
Finally in 1956 he said now it's the time and let's do it and they did, the musical adventures of the music man has another interesting first. it's the first time a young men is shown as professor harold hill there had been a tradition of the time Robert Preston brought him to life on stage and right through forest tucker and and then we see years dick van dyke craig bierko eric mccormack matthew broadrick and many others have done of older men playing professor harold hill. but there was something that was broken a tradition that was broken that is for showing professor harold hill as a young men and he's a young adult man but he has a young men adult voice which if he is to be picked as a young men and that's what he's supposed to be.
