People are not giving THE MUSIC MAN credit enough!
Unquestionably, it paved the way in a significant manner for the return of Broadway! The Best Musical and the Best Revival could not do it on their own or in a big way. People who came to NYC ( including overseas theatregoers ) to see THE MUSIC MAN were also enticed to see other shows since they were already in town ( and that goes for the collateral benefits to airlines/hotels/restaurants/tourist sites). People who came to see it because of movie star Hugh Jackman discovered Broadway ...and will likely come back for more Broadway.
It was a show whose main attraction signed up for only a year ( he does have a film career - he already lost the FERRARI role because of the delays in the run of The Music Man due to the pandemic) so it is not surprising that the show considered only the same amount of time in its limited run. It was an absolute crowd pleaser! People came, apart from wanting to see a Broadway cum Hollywood star, for other reasons - events in their lives, reunions, family trips, even to renew memories of The Music Man in their own involvement in high school musicals or community theatre . Or to some, just to see period Americana in such a joyous setting is good enough!
Let's celebrate its success and not put it down as a forgettable Broadway memory!
Jo ( Overseas Broadway theatregoer since way, way back).
Updated On: 9/13/22 at 09:09 PM