Two-time Tony Award, Grammy Award, and Emmy Award winner Hugh Jackman will make his highly anticipated return to Broadway in what is widely agreed to be the greatest role ever created for an actor in the history of musical theater: Professor Harold Hill in Meredith Willson’s beloved classic, The Music Man. Two-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy superstar Sutton Foster will star as Marian Paroo. The production, directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, with choreography by Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle, will begin performances on September 9, 2020, and officially open on October 15, 2020.
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 Smithsonian Institution ranks The Music Man as one of the "great glories" of American popular culture.
Certainly it feels like a glitzy, age-of-musicals move to cast Sutton Foster and Hugh Jackman; it's increasingly rare to see a pair of stage stars of this megawattage sing and dance together. Their celebrity and undeniable presence seem to have overcome any little concerns about fissures between the performers and their characters - there are places where Foster's mezzo strains in the high stuff and Jackman goes sour. But director Jerry Zaks solves that by bringing 'em front-and-center, to stand (or dance) on the stage lip and radiate Golden Age glamor.
Jackman is but just one astonishing part of the subtly reworked Meredith Wilson musical that opened Thursday night at the Winter Garden Theatre. It overflows with talent, clever ideas and a hard-working multicultural cast. Sutton Foster somehow channels her inner Carole Burnett to play Hill's reluctant love interest, showing a gift for physical humor and comic timing in addition to nifty tap dancing and a gorgeous voice. If there ever was a stage match for Jackman, Foster is it.
1957 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
1961 | West End |
London Production West End |
1965 |
Regional Revival |
|
1965 | Off-Broadway |
City Center Revival Off-Broadway |
1980 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2000 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Broadway |
2019 | Washington, DC (Regional) |
Broadway Center Stage Revival Washington, DC (Regional) |
2022 | Broadway |
Broadway Revival Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Santo Loquasto |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Achievement in Musical Theater | Hugh Jackman |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Sutton Foster |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Direction of a Musical | Jerry Zaks |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical | The Music Man |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | Santo Loquasto |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | The Music Man |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Warren Carlyle |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Santo Loquasto |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Hugh Jackman |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical | Jayne Houdyshell |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Sutton Foster |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | Caroline, or Change |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Revival of a Musical | The Music Man |
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