The Music Man Revival post Jackman and Foster

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 10:14am

I know its not for a long time off, but I just couldnt stop thinking about this. I was reading a post from a beetlejuice fan group and it criticized The Music Man, because it will most likely end up closing once Hugh Jackman leaves while Beetlejuice has more longevity since it doesnt rely on a single star to sell tickets. I thought they had a really good point. Id be curious if this goes the same way as Hello, Dolly and The Producers or if Rudin and Co. will be able to find someone with as much of a draw as Jackman to replace him come October 2021.

I wouldnt mind Leslie Odom Jr. as Professor Hill. He might not be as big of a draw, but hed definitely nail the role.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 10:31am

Go with Norm Lewis after Jackman is done. His recent performance in the role in DC was well received and it's a dream role for him.

In fact, as perfect as Hugh Jackman is as Harold Hill, I was a little disappointed at the announcement of the revival because it meant Norm Lewis's show wouldn't transfer.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 11:10am

This is like two years away.

[Andres_Zayas]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 12:36pm

I’d love to see either Seth MacFarlane or Chris Diamantopolous as Harold Hill, though I doubt McFarlane would have the time to do it or if either actor would be as big of a draw as Jackman.

[laurensambrose]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 1:17pm

I would give an arm and a leg for Ruthie Ann Miles to replace Sutton

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 1:36pm

It may be two years away, but I'm guessing Rudin is already courting replacements. Based on nothing I'm sure calls have been made to at the very least put out feelers for, say, Neil Patrick Harris and Chenoweth to replace. Allegedly Herman was the one standing in the way with a lot of the bigger named ladies Rudin courted to replace Bette and I don't see the Wilson estate saying no to any capable performer. 

[Joviedamian]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 2:04pm

I have a feeling this will re-coup (depending on advance) at record-breaking speed. If so, it just may close once Jackman and Foster contracts are up (after they've made a good amount of money for their investors of course).

[TheSassySam]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 3:54pm

Joviedamian said: "I have a feeling this will re-coup (depending on advance) at record-breaking speed. If so, it just may close once Jackman and Foster contracts are up (after they've made a good amount of money for their investors of course)."

You'd think that happened to the recent revival of Hello, Dolly! but it didn't recoup until its final weeks. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 4:36pm

TheSassySam said: "Joviedamian said: "I have a feeling this will re-coup (depending on advance) at record-breaking speed. If so, it just may close once Jackman and Foster contracts are up (after they've made a good amount of money for their investors of course)."

You'd think that happened to the recent revival of Hello, Dolly! but it didn't recoup until its final weeks."

'Bette giveth and Bette taketh away'...I am sure that her total income had a lot to do with that.  I have no way of knowing, but does anyone on this board doubt that she made significantly more than anyone else ever on Broadway and that that limited the profits.  I am not even suggesting she didn't earn her income, but the weekly operating costs became so high that the show was never going to make a huge return for its investors once it became solely about Bette Midler.  A real conundrum...'if I hire a huge star, I will have a big hit while she is in it, but her income will result is profits being only modest...but there will be profits specifically because she is in it'.  Makes you wonder whether Rudin would have ever done the show without her, and whether he ever expected it to last once she left.

On another board subject, people threw out names of potential replacements who were likely to be real box office attractions, maybe on the Jackman level for shorter periods of time. e.g., NPH may not be able to fill seats for something like The Music Man for a year, but I'll bet he could do it for 3 - 4 months post-Jackman, to be followed by...

Of course it is all predicated on this production getting great reviews and word of mouth being strong beyond Jackman.  (I have to admit that there are parts of the show that I have always seen as being too damned old-fashioned, and have kept me personally from seeing the show as a Tier 1 musical. I think there are great parts, some terrific roles, etc., but there have always been parts where I have just tuned out.  Note: I have my tickets, only because of HJ; a friend who likes HJ a lot (not fanatically) did not want tickets when asked because 'as much as I really want to see HJ, I don't want to see him enough to have to sit through MM to do so'.  Will be interesting to see...20 or so months from now.

 

[jo]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 7:06pm

How many major revivals have there been which ran for very much longer after its original revival cast left?  I am not referring to subsequent touring productions, but a continuing run on Broadway?

Also --

My interest is not in the post-Jackman Music Man recasting, but --

for EGOT producer Scott Rudin and Oscar-nominated Hugh Jackman to collaborate on a new major motion picture.  Rudin has produced some outstanding films and hopefully their theatrical partnership will lead to another artistic project in a different medium.

 

 

Updated On: 1/21/20 at 07:06 PM

[amiyagi]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 7:23pm

On this note, how long do we expect them to be in it? I figure Jackman will probably sign for a year but I'm more curious about Sutton, given potential conflict with Younger? I hope to see it next April but am less interested if Sutton's no longer in it, especially with these prices. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 8:37pm

doesn’t younger film in New York? Maybe they’ll have Sutton switch to an alternate schedule once younger starts filming? Anyway, I thought this upcoming season was going to be it’s last, no?

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 8:53pm

Andres_Zayas said: "I’d love to see either Seth MacFarlane or Chris Diamantopolous as Harold Hill, though I doubt McFarlane would have the time to do it or if either actor would be as big of a draw as Jackman."

I just hope that[nicely] Chris Diamantopolous never wins an award presented by John Travolta.

What is it with performers working with difficult names to spell and pronounce? Everyone can't be a John Smith or a Brad Pitt or a Rock Hard, but come on, really?

You'd run out of light bulbs with Chris Diam.......up there in lights!

I would have a name that rolls off the tongue, like Melody Dewdrop or Cecilia Sssssisson.

Now HJ and SF are cracker names for super stars.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 8:57pm

I wonder if this being Younger’s last season is the reason Foster committed to this? I thought it was the last season as well!

[ModernMillie3]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 9:06pm

Younger shoots in March through early summer. Its the 7th season, and most shows do 7 year contracts so yeah pretty sure this is the last season, not much story left to tell so it's a good time to wrap it up.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 9:29pm

The 2000 revival of The Music Man directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman ran for over 700 performances despite medium star power (Rebecca Luker and newcomer Craig Bierko) Not putting those two down. Almost any show would fall short on star power compared to Hugh and Sutton. That production of Music Man ran 200 performances longer than my beloved LCT revivals of The King and I and My Fair Lady. (Still don't understand how MFL didn't run longer. It had the music, the comedy and much of the best dialog to be spoken in a Broadway musical.)

I'm sorry that Rebecca Luker didn't get better roles than reprising the old roles of Marian and Maria and others. I think there was more to her than that -- judging anyway from her Encores appearance in The Boys from Syracuse in which she sang maybe her signature song "Falling in Love with Love" and was one of the leads in the trio that performed the very smart "Sing for you Supper."

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 1/21/20 at 9:44pm

I saw that Music Man in Huntsville, AL back in the day and that’s still one of the most impressive productions I’ve seen touring! Such great quality! Wish I knew the cast I saw!

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 1:29am

Thought about this and MacFarlane would play the hell out of this role

People do know him, but mostly as the "Family Guy" guy, so would that still sell tickets? 

[Soaring29]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 5:54am

Kelli O'Hara should play Marian afterwards. Laura Osnes too. 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 2:15pm

I wonder if they're going a different direction with Marian rather than the typical ingenue type, with the casting of Sutton Foster. Not saying they're gonna be changing the lines or songs or anything but maybe the kind of Marian they're envisioning isn't quite the kind that people would see Kelli O'Hara or Laura Osnes in?

[GreasedLightning]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 2:53pm

I wouldn’t be so quick to say that Younger is wrapping up after season seven. It is the most successful original TV series for its network and when it was renewed for season seven there was no mention of it being the last, nor are they advertising it that way.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 4:00pm

I'm more curious as to how a 44 year old woman's mother has a young son. Unless Winthrop is played as a mentally disabled adult, it was already a hard sell in earlier iterations.

[angoradebs]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 5:46pm

Fosse76 said: "I'm more curious as to how a 44 year old woman's mother has a young son. Unless Winthrop is played as a mentally disabled adult, it was already a hard sell in earlier iterations."

Just because Sutton Foster is 44 doesn't mean Marian Paroo is 44. Patti Murin and Caissie Levy played characters around 20 years younger than themselves in Frozen. Since Marian's age is never stated outright, it doesn't really matter, but I'm going to assume she's just playing younger.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/22/20 at 9:53pm

If Kristin went into the show she would be 52. Come to think of it, Chita Rivera still moves pretty well for her age.

I'm really intrigued by the thought of what Sutton will do in the role. Compare her to Barbara Cook, Shirley Jones and Rebecca Luker. Looking over Sutton's songs in iTunes, I can't find any of the well known romantic ballads and especially not one like "Someone to Watch Over Me." Sutton doesn't need anyone to watch over her. She might make the role less passive. Show outrage at the stranger talking to her, but actually be somewhat interested. Using subsequent meetings to coax a little information from him about himself. "'Til There Was You" might be a straight duet.

Sutton will do something with the role of Marian that we haven't seen before and it won't disappoint. Although no doubt it will be controversial here.

Pointless fact: Sutton Foster is 13 months older than Kelli O'Hara.

Pointful fact? In the film, when Harold and Marian meet at the footbridge, he looks at her thoughtfully for a couple of seconds and says, "About 26 years too late" to meet a man at the footbridge.. 

Updated On: 2/25/20 at 09:53 PM

[willep]

Posted: 2/23/20 at 7:39am

I’ve always thought Zac Levi would make a great Harold Hill. That being said, I iuld love to see Norm Lewis in it.