The rousing classic about a charming con man and his seventy-six trombones.
Date/Time: Dec 18 2016, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Richmond, Gateway TheatreCost: $29.00
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- Book, Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
- Story by Meredith Willson and Frank Lacey
- Directed by Barbara Tomasic
- Musical Direction by Christopher King
- Choreography by Suzanne Ouellette
This beguiling and nostalgic family musical begins when fast-talking con man Harold Hill arrives in small town Iowa, singing empty promises about starting a glorious marching band to organize the local youth. Although all the townsfolk seem eager to follow his lead, the prim local librarian, Marian, threatens to reveal him as a fraud. As the two butt heads, sparks fly, inspiring Harold to change his tune. Romantic and completely clever, The Music Man is a heart-warming story about personal redemption and the power of a big brass band.
“The Music Man is a marvelous show, rooted in wholesome and comic tradition.”—The New York Times
WINNER OF 5 TONY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson was was educated at Damrosch Institute of Musical Art (now known as The Juilliard School) as a flute and piccolo player. Willson was the solo flautist with John Phillip Sousa's band from 1921-1923, and he played flute in the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Arturo Toscanini from 1924-1929. As musical director and conductor, Willson is known for his work on the popular radio programs: Carefree Carnival (1933-1936), Maxwell House Coffee Time (1940-19) and The Big Show (1950-1953). Willson also scored Charlie Chaplin's film The Great Dictator and Hellman's The Little Foxes. Meredith Willson's The Music Man opened on Broadway in December of 1957 and went on for a 1375 performance run. The cast album won the very first Grammy Award of its kind, and the Broadway production won fiveTony Awards, with Willson winning for Best Musical Author and Best Composer & Lyricist. The 1962 movie version starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones won the Academy Award for Best Musical Score. Willson also wrote The Unsinkable Molly Brown, which opened on Broadway in 1960 and Here's Love (a musical adaptation of Miracle on 34th Street) which opened on Broadway in 1963. Willson's song "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" written in 1951 and made famous by Perry Como was used in Here's Love.
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