mamaleh said: "Those who want to see danger, edge or a sleaze factor in Harold Hill have totally misread the plot line. His whole con depends on his being ingratiating, accommodating, glad-handing, flattering, ebullient, enthusiastic, etc. If any element of the deception behind the con were blatantly evident, the show would end right after "Ya Got Trouble." Until the very end, when he realizes his feelings for Marian, only the scenes with crony Marcellus reveal who he really is."
When you come right down to it -- The Music Man is really the story of a community. How a man with original nefarious motives changes the attitudes of a community of people and how that community changed the man himself. A slice of Americana at the turn of the century (that time setting also giving a hint of things to come for this town) which shows how people behaved and how a stranger also changed as the town itself became influenced by his presence. The most symbolic song it seems could very well be The Wells Fargo Song - brass gifts that turn the town to gold...and the man bringing them also gifted with the town's eventual goodwill.
Presumably, the creative vision and the artistic interpretation of this revival was guided by this new and more nuanced version of The Music Man (aka The Music Man in River City).
Updated On: 2/20/22 at 09:38 PM