THE MUSIC MAN 🎵

[jo]

In comparison, the Shubert theatre specs are :

Seating Capacity


Orchestra
700

Mezzanine
410

Balcony
350

Boxes
16

Standing
26

Total
1502



Included in Totals Above:


Orchestra Pit
28

Wheelchair
7

Aisle Transfer Arm
16

[jo]

If I may borrow from Mr. Sondheim --

Could be, who knows
There's something due any day
I'll know right away, soon as it shows

It'll make a cannonball down from the sky
Gleam in it's eye
Bright as a rose, who knows
It's only just out of reach

Down the block, on the beach
Under a tree
I've got a feeling there's a miracle due
Gonna come true

Coming to me
Could it be, yes it could
Something's coming, something good
If I can wait

Something's coming
I don't know what it is
But it is gonna be great

With a click, with a shock
Phone'll jingle, door'll knock
Open the latch, something's coming
Don't know when but it's soon

Catch the moon
One-handed catch
Around the corner
Or drifting down the river
C'mon deliver to me

Will it be, yes it will
Maybe just by holding still
It'll be there
Come on something

Come on in, don't be shy
Meet a guy
Pull up a chair
The air is humming
And something great is coming

Who knows, it's only just out of reach
Down the block, on the beach
Maybe tonight

Yes

"It could be
Something due any day 🎵
Coming to me

Could it be, yes it could
Something's coming, something good
If I can wait

Something's coming
I don't know what it is
But it is gonna be great"



Something's coming, something good
It's the Man with trombones
I could feel it in my bones!

🎵 🎵



Jo( not so great a lyricist )

[jo]

On the Official site --

www.musicmanonbroadway.com/

[jo]

WOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!

They have announced the rest of the major casting!

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/four-tony-award-winners-join-broadway-cast-music-man-1233715?fbclid=IwAR0NwnTiQOr3ry8LdL6jXSyxy6ZivPwgj3hIum94D7F52JPODHZ9eShQ8wE

The Hollywood Reporter


CULTURE

Four Tony Award Winners Join Broadway Cast of 'The Music Man' (Exclusive)
6:00 AM PDT 9/5/2019 by David Rooney


Getty Images
From left: Jayne Houdyshell, Jefferson Mays, Marie Mullen, Shuler Hensley


Jayne Houdyshell, Jefferson Mays, Marie Mullen and Shuler Hensley will appear with previously announced leads Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the revival.


A supporting cast of seasoned theater pros is coming together for the splashy Broadway revival of Meredith Willson's classic The Music Man, with four Tony Award winners signing on to join stars Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the fall 2020 production.

Jefferson Mays will play the pompous mayor of River City, Iowa, with Jayne Houdyshell as his overbearing wife Mrs. Shinn. Marie Mullen will appear as Mrs. Paroo, the Irish mother of Foster's character, town librarian and part-time piano teacher Marian, and Shuler Hensley will play Marcellus Washburn, an old friend and former shill of "Professor" Harold Hill, the con man posing as a traveling salesman, to be played by Jackman.

Produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller and David Geffen, the revival reunites the key creative team behind the blockbuster 2017 Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, led by director Jerry Zaks and choreographer Warren Carlyle. It begins previews Sept. 9, 2020, ahead of an official Oct. 15 opening at a Shubert theater to be announced.



Houdyshell has been a frequent presence in Rudin's productions, appearing in Larry David's Fish in the Dark; Stephen Karam's The Humans, for which she won a Tony for best featured actress in a play; Lucas Hnath's A Doll's House, Part 2, opposite Laurie Metcalf; and last season's King Lear, with Glenda Jackson and Ruth Wilson.

Mays appeared in Rudin's all-star 2016 revival of The Front Page, with Nathan Lane and John Slattery. He won a Tony for lead actor in a play in 2004 for the solo drama I Am My Own Wife and was nominated again in 2014 for A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder and in 2017 for Oslo.

Distinguished Irish stage veteran Mullen returns to Broadway more than 20 years after winning a 1998 Tony for best actress in a play for her debut in Martin McDonagh's The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

Hensley won a Tony for best featured actor in a musical in the 2002 revival of Oklahoma! with Patrick Wilson. More recently, he appeared in the double-bill of Waiting for Godot and No Man's Land with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, and in this year's Tony winner for best play, The Ferryman.


The first production from the newly formed triumvirate of Rudin, Diller and Geffen will be director Ivo van Hove's upcoming reimagining of West Side Story, which begins previews Dec. 10 at the Broadway Theatre, with an official opening set for Feb. 6, 2020.

While the two classic shows will be competing in different Tony seasons this time around, they share a history in the awards race given that The Music Man beat out West Side Story for the best musical Tony in their original 1957 productions.


David Rooney
[e-mail]
@thr

Bigtime!! There is going to a lot of scene-stealing ( unplanned) with all these excellent stage actors!

I bet Shuler was chosen, partly from Hugh's recommendation, seconded by former Oklahoma! Dance Captain Warren Carlyle

Non-TONY winners need not apply for the rest of the casting

Too excited!!

Jo

[jo]

The producing team of Rudin, Diller and Geffen -- no need to worry about where to find the funding


Jo

[njr]

Shuler posted the news on his Facebook page - I sent him congratulations!

[carouselkathy]

I giggle at the thought of Schuler singing "Shipoopi"!

[jo]

Sept 5, 2019 11:41:41 GMT -5 carouselkathy said:

I giggle at the thought of Schuler singing "Shipoopi"!

LOL! I need to watch the movie again, to refresh my memory of all these characters!

[mamaleh]

As soon as I heard the casting news this morning, I let Shuler know on social media that I was looking forward to experiencing his "Shipoopi." He gave me a like.

Ellen

[jo]

Mar 13, 2019 15:02:21 GMT -5 jo said:

It's Official!

>
>
>
>


www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-jackman-lead-broadway-revival-music-man-1194075

CULTURE
Hugh Jackman to Lead Broadway Revival of 'The Music Man' (Exclusive)


6:00 AM PDT 3/13/2019 by David Rooney


One of the most bankable of contemporary stage stars, the Tony-, Grammy- and Emmy-winning actor will play Harold Hill in a major 2020 production of the 1957 Meredith Willson classic.

Get ready for 76 trombones and a box office stampede.

Hugh Jackman will take on his first Broadway musical role in 16 years when he heads the cast of a major 2020 revival of The Music Man, producer Scott Rudin confirmed today. Jackman teased the announcement Tuesday with a promotional image from the production on his Twitter feed, sparking wide speculation across theater sites.


The actor will play "Professor" Harold Hill, the charismatic con man who comes to the small Iowa town of River City posing as a boys’ marching band organizer and intends to abscond with the cash he collects for musical instruments and uniforms. Prim librarian Marian sees through his scam and plans to expose him, but romantic complications ensue.

"The first musical I was ever part of was the phenomenal The Music Man," said Jackman in a statement. "The year was 1983, and I was at Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. I was one of the traveling salesmen, and I think I can actually (almost) remember that unforgettable opening number! That was probably the moment when the magic of theater was born in me."


"The idea of bringing The Music Man back to Broadway has been lurking in the back of my brain for a long time, maybe even for 35 years," continued Jackman. "When Scott Rudin called me with that very idea, I was floored. To finally be doing this is a huge thrill."

"There is just no way to accurately describe the level of excitement I feel about the opportunity to present Hugh in what I think is the best role ever written for an actor in all of Broadway musical theater," added Rudin.

Unique among 21st century marquee names in his ability to straddle big-screen action franchises and old-fashioned song-and-dance roles onstage, Jackman has proved himself to be among the most reliable guarantees of blockbuster ticket sales since his Tony-winning 2003 Broadway debut in the Peter Allen bio-musical, The Boy From Oz.

The actor has appeared three times since on Broadway in limited engagements in the plays A Steady Rain (2009) and The River (2014) and the concert showcase Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway (2011), generating combined grosses of $83.4 million.



With premium pricing having significantly pumped box office earning potential in the five years since the most recent of those productions, a Jackman-led revival of a canonical property like the 1957 Meredith Willson musical promises to be massive, particularly given that the actor has signed on for a full year.


A leading New York stage star who has been absent from Broadway for the last few years is believed to be on board to play Marian and will be confirmed in the coming weeks.


Adding further luster to the production is the reassembly of the core creative team from Rudin's lavish 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! That smash hit starred Bette Midler and earned a whopping $128.2 million in New York, before heading out on a national tour that is proving popular across the country.


Hugh Jackman on Bringing 'The Greatest Showman' to Life for Upcoming Arena Tour


Director Jerry Zaks will again handle the reins, with Warren Carlyle on board as choreographer, Santo Loquasto designing sets and costumes, Natasha Katz on lighting, Scott Lehrer on sound and David Chase on dance arrangements. Joining the team will be distinguished music veterans Jonathan Tunick, doing orchestrations, and Patrick Vaccariello as music director, a role he filled on both The Boy From Oz and Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway.



"These are great American works of art that deserve to be put on stage with as much love as you can give them," Rudin told The Hollywood Reporter. "What I learned on Dolly was that there is an enormous hunger for them from the theatergoing audience. But the hunger I think is to see these Golden Age musicals done in a Golden Age way."


"When you take on one of the 10 or so great, beloved titles, you're trying to do the urtext version of it," he continued. "That's what I think we did with Dolly and what we're going to do here. We're going to do it in a way that no one has ever seen it before. It's going to be big and beautiful and super-luxe and gorgeous and incredibly romantic, and very much in the world of why the show has lasted for 60 years."



Jackman's footprint in musicals goes far beyond his Broadway appearances. In his early career days in Australia, he starred on stage in Sunset Boulevard and Beauty and the Beast, before landing the part of Curly in an acclaimed 1998 National Theatre revival of Oklahoma! in London. He headlined a 2002 Carnegie Hall concert staging of Carousel, opposite Audra McDonald, and starred in the big-screen musicals Les Miserables and The Greatest Showman. He has hosted the Tony Awards four times, winning an Emmy in 2005 for one of those emcee turns.


In May this year, Jackman will kick off a world arena tour titled The Man. The Music. The Show., backed by a live orchestra and performing songs from across his career. On the big screen, he will next be seen in Bad Education, with Allison Janney and Ray Romano.

Rudin said Jackman thought long and hard on the right musical-theater project to bring him back to Broadway, and the conversation that led to this project has been going on for about three years.


The Music Man is often ranked among the greatest Broadway musicals of all time. In his first attempt to write for the stage, Willson penned the book, music and lyrics for the show, which was six years in development. It premiered on Broadway at the Majestic Theatre in 1957, winning six Tony Awards, including best musical, and running for more than three years.



"When we did Dolly, my desire was to put 1964 onstage," said Rudin. "That's what we want to do here. We want basically to put onstage an experience that is our version of what we believe people felt when they walked in to the Majestic to see The Music Man in 1957, which is that blow-the-roof-off-the-theater, blow-the-doors-off-their-hinges musical-theater hysteria that only a handful of shows have ever generated. That's the job."


Robert Preston originated the part of Harold Hill, starring opposite Barbara Cook, and went on to reprise the role in the 1962 movie version with Shirley Jones. Matthew Broderick played Hill in a 2003 TV remake, while other notable performers who have tackled the role on stage over the years include Forrest Tucker, Van Johnson, Bert Parks, Dick Van Dyke, Bob Gunton and, in the most recent Broadway revival that ran from April 2000 to Dec. 2001, Craig Bierko, Robert Sean Leonard and Eric McCormack.

Like Jackman, Rudin also has connections to the show that go way back. The Broadway premiere was a huge hit for influential producer Kermit Bloomgarden, in whose offices Rudin got his start in the theater business at age 14.
"I was obsessed with The Music Man when I was a kid," said Rudin. "I would ask him endless questions about it and spend months and months poring through his files for every single document I could find that related to The Music Man. A ton of what I learned about being a producer I learned from Kermit, and in a way, for me personally, this is kind of a valentine to him."



The revival will begin previews Sept. 9, 2020, ahead of an Oct. 22 official opening at a Shubert theatre to be announced, along with additional casting. Group ticket sales begin on June 9 this year, with single tickets available starting Sept. 15.


David Rooney
[e-mail]

I decided to look at this original announcement to get a more grounded inkling of the directions that this revival is going.

Some BWW are bewailing the lack of diversity in the announced casting. Some are deriding Hugh's talent ( especially on the singing side). Some of her fans are insistent that Sutton Foster is the real draw. Some complain that the production is being built around Hugh Jackman, including the choices of support cast and creatives.


The original Hollywood Reporter is an eye opener as to Rudin's intentions! He wants to recreate The Music Man the way they did it with the Golden Age Musicals! He also approached Hugh Jackman with the idea of Hugh leading the revival ( and the discussions went on for some time - like 3 years, as indicated in the article)...and presumably after some discussions ( and likely concessions asked by Hugh presumably on the nature of the revival, not necessarily on compensation issues ), only then did Hugh sign on for a full year ( categorically-stated in the article).


This could be a real Scott Rudin passion project ( and he even drew in big wealthy co-producers like Barry Diller and David Geffen) - to recreate not just any type of revival but one that will give the audience a feeling of having time-travelled when the musical first hit the stage ( and maybe even when the film was made)!

A grand project that needs the most grand of Broadway casting ( and wih a most impressive group of creatives) led by someone whose appeal ranged beyond the theatrical crowds! How could Hugh Jackman have refused that



Jo

[jo]

For info --

Did you know that producer Scott Rudin has EGOT stature?

Did you also know that veteran orchestrator Jonathan Tunick also has EGOT stature?

Hurry up, Jackman -- get that unique acknowledgment sewn up with any of your next movies!


Jo

[jo]

In case there are any doubts about how grand a musical The Music Man is --

Quoted from the Press Release published at ATC :

One of the most universally cherished treasures of the American musical theater, The Music Man was an instant smash hit when it premiered on Broadway on December 19, 1957. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including the prize for Best Musical, and ran for 1,375 performances. The original cast album held the number one position on the Billboard charts and stayed on the album charts for 245 weeks. The recording won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Original Cast Album. In 1962, the show was adapted into a hugely successful movie, which has remained a classic for over 60 years. The Smithsonian Institution ranks The Music Man as one of the "great glories of American popular culture."

Also, it beat WEST SIDE STORY for the TONY award for Best Musical of that year. But what an irony if the revival with Hugh Jackman will actually play at the Winter Garden Theatre - because that was where West Side Story first played on Broadway

[njr]

Sept 5, 2019 20:09:51 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

As soon as I heard the casting news this morning, I let Shuler know on social media that I was looking forward to experiencing his "Shipoopi." He gave me a like.

Ellen

He messaged me back:


Thank you 🙏

[jo]

Get set!!

Tickets go on sale!

[jo]

No theatre has been announced! Maybe in the next few days..or even very shortly. We may want to study the seating chart beforehand. I get nervous all the time on Opening Day for ticket sales, esp for Hugh Jackman theatre shows.

*I have had some experience in the past when the system crashed because of demand
*I am wary of rows being taken out after opening day of ticket sales ( happened for TBFO) or added after ticket sales (happened for A STEADY RAIN)
*I am always wary of ticket scalpers being able to get bucketloads of tickets ( to resell at horrendous markups).
*Hugh shows are always very popular - not just with Hugh fans but also with regular theatregoers
*If I take the phone-call option -- it is going to cost me a lot of money
*I have never done the snail-mail option -- but I hope it works for those who can only get their tickets this way.


Have you decided on the time frame when to see the show ( or when to see it repeatedly )


GOOD LUCK to everyone


Jo

[jo]

I sympathize particularly with those from out of the tri-state!

Those who will need to travel ( by car/train/plane/or boat?) to get to NYC. Or those who need to fly over many, many time zones just to get to NYC ( and have to shrug off jetlag). When are flight deals the best to get - do they coincide with your planned schedule to see The Music Man?

Those who will need to book for accomodations, esp in NYC's busiest times. Or is there ever a less busy time for Broadway theatre-going? Other than deep, deep winter?

Those who cannot decide whether to go simply by oneself or who needs to find a theatre companion.

Ahhh … the travails of Hugh Jackman theatre-going! Glad it does not happen every year.

Although this is pretty close to his music tour ( MSG in late June this year).

But … in the end, it always becomes very much worth it! Watching Hugh Jackman in musical theatre!!


Jo

[jo]

Social media reactions --

*At what time on September 14 ??

*People observing that the ticket agency has not been announced.

**As this will be a show at a Schubert theatre -- it will of course be with Telecharge

**There is no Telecharge Page at the moment.

I accidentally saw Telecharge testing the formats for the Ticket Page/Seating Chart/Pricing Chart formats for THE MUSIC MAN ( with false data, of course). They have since then removed those test-pages from the website. Obviously, they were just trying to get them letter/word/space-perfect for actual ticket sale operations.




Jo

[jo]

[jo]

EDIT***EDIT***EDIT

It looks like Broadway Inbound has removed the new pricing structure for WEEKEND SHOWS
I wonder if they did not want to disclose the weekend pricing policy for the show as it may be premature or that it has not been decided by the producers.

But I am not deleting the following Page Info which was shown earlier.



Pricing Range for GROUP SALES for WEEKENDS
Pricing Structure is more segmented.

Orchestra B-P Center and Select Sides/Mezzanine A Center and Select Sides
$306.70


Orchestra A and B-S Select Sides
$295.70


Orchestra C-S Select Sides/Mezzanine A-D Select Sides
$284.70


Orchestra G-S Far Sides and T-V
$251.70


Mezzanine E-G Center and Select Sides
$218.70


Mezzanine A-G Far Sides
$119.70


Mid Premiums
$440.90


Premiums
$548.70

Pricing Range for GROUP SALES for WEEKDAYS - Tuesday to Thursday
Pricing Structure is Less Segmented.

Orchestra
$295.70


Orchestra/Mezzanine
$284.70 '


Orchestra
$251.70


Mezzanine
$218.70


Mezzanine
$119.70


Mid Premiums
$384.80


Premiums
$494.80

Please Note --

It is NOT SURE if these pricing policies apply to Single Ticket Sales.


EDIT***EDIT***EDIT

Please note the revisions indicated at the beginning of this post!

Jo

[jo]

[pebbles]

Sept 9, 2019 20:50:22 GMT -5 jo said:

Social media reactions --

*At what time on September 14 ??

*People observing that the ticket agency has not been announced.

**As this will be a show at a Schubert theatre -- it will of course be with Telecharge

**There is no Telecharge Page at the moment.

I accidentally saw Telecharge testing the formats for the Ticket Page/Seating Chart/Pricing Chart formats for THE MUSIC MAN ( with false data, of course). They have since then removed those test-pages from the website. Obviously, they were just trying to get them letter/word/space-perfect for actual ticket sale operations.




Jo

Is Telecharge preferrable to Ticketmaster?  Just curious.

[jo]

I have found dealing with TELECHARGE to be more customer-friendly, esp if a problem arises and have to be dealt with individually.

Besides, there is no choice -- Telecharge is the ticketing agency affiliated/owned by the Shubert Organization. Since the musical is going to be housed in a Shubert theatre ( strongly rumored to be the Winter Garden), this will be serviced via the Telecharge ticketing agency.

But if previous opening day sales for popular offerings are to go by, expect some madhouse atmosphere. Fortunately, because Hugh will supposedly be on it for a full year, maybe it is not necessary to go for it on Day 1! However, if you want certain seats or if you don't want to get tickets via the secondary market ( i.e., the scalpers including Stubhub, etc) later on, it might be best to get your tickets early. Of course there are other considerations ( when to go, who to go with, accomodations and transportation if not from the tri-state, other NYC things to do). Just an observation - fall to Christmas/New Year's Day is arguably the most popular time to visit NYC so be prepared for more competition on shows to see as well as NYC accommodations.

Theatre fans, in addition to Hugh fans, will be competing for the tickets. On BWW alone, some 100,000 views already on the thread " Hugh Jackman and The Music Man".

IMHO

Jo

[jo]

There has been NO mention YET that the first 2 weeks of sales for single tickets will be an AmEx pre-sale. AmEx is supposed to be the card of choice at Telecharge. I guess we will know this when the final announcements are made before September 14.

I do remember the early years debacle on this issue. I remember not being able to buy tickets for the first 2 weeks of TBFO because my AmEx card is an international issue and was not included in the promo of the American AmEx. Also, at that time, only Gold AmEx qualified... but that has now been changed to all kinds of AmEx cards are welcome. One issue is whether a pre-sale includes all seats in the theatre...or only for certain seats, so future sales after the Pre-sale are also given fairly equal chances to get seat preferences.

I wonder why the announcements are taking so long? Maybe the producers of the current show(s) that might be dispossessed are still negotiating strongly ( aka haggling) over the terms of a move-out?

Jo

[jo]

[jo]