The Music Man

The Music Man is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey.

In 1957, the show became a hit on Broadway and spawned revivals, a popular film and is still frequently produced by both professional and amateur theatre companies.

After years of development, a change of producers, and more than forty drafts, the original Broadway production, directed by Morton DaCosta and choreographed by Onna White, opened on December 19, 1957 at the Majestic Theatre, where it remained for nearly three years before transferring to The Broadway Theatre to complete its 1,375-performance run.

The original cast included Robert Preston (who went on to reprise his role in the 1962 screen adaptation) as Harold Hill, Barbara Cook as Marian, and Eddie Hodges as Winthrop, with Pert Kelton, David Burns, and Iggie Wolfington in supporting roles. Eddie Albert replaced Preston later in the run.