Overview
Synopsis
There’s trouble in River City! When smooth-talking con man Harold Hill arrives in a small, tight-knit town in Iowa, he expects to dupe its residents with his elaborate money making scheme: Despite his complete lack of musical literacy, he will convince everyone that he is a brilliant bandleader and recruit all the boys in town to form a band, pocketing the cash for instruments and uniforms. The problem? Some of the town members, especially the stern librarian, Marian Paroo, don’t quite buy Harold’s story. As Harold struggles to keep his scheme afloat, he also finds himself increasingly attached to the townspeople, who have all experienced a positive change since Harold came to town. Complicating matters even more, Harold is also falling head-over-heels for the beautiful Marian. As All-American as apple pie and as charming as can be, The Music Man is a crowd-pleasing show with a great number and range of roles that is well-suited to professional, community, and school productions alike.
Show Information
- Book
- Franklin Lacey , Meredith Willson
- Music
- Meredith Willson
- Lyrics
- Meredith Willson
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- Genres
- Romance
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- 1912 River City, Iowa
- Cast Size
- large
- Orchestra Size
- Recording
- Dancing
- Some Dance
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, Elementary School, Ensemble Cast, High School, Large Cast, Middle School, Star Vehicle Male, Star Vehicle Female, Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA), Mostly Male Cast, Includes Late Teen, Early Teen, Child Characters
Context
Inspired by his own small-town upbringing in Mason City, Iowa, Meredith Willson began developing the idea for his first musical, The Music Man, in 1948. It would be nearly another decade before the show opened on Broadway, but when it did--in December 1957--it enchanted audiences immediately with its All-American charm, catchy tunes, and loveable characters. The original Broadway production had a successful run at the 1958 Tony Awards, winning not only Best
to read the context for The Music Man JR/Kids and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
It is the Fourth of July in 1912, and a train is leaving Rock Island, Illinois. A number of traveling salesmen aboard the train discuss how credit has changed their lives (“Rock Island”). The salesmen then begin to gossip about a con-man who goes by the name of “Professor” Harold Hill, and Charlie Cowell describes the man’s rather unique scam: Harold convinces parents that he can teach their children to play musical instruments in a band, and once he receives the money that is supposedly meant
to read the plot for The Music Man JR/Kids and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor, Treble/Boy Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Bass |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Ensemble |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either Gender |
Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, Treble/Boy Soprano |
Songs
- Rock Island – Charlie Cowell and Traveling Salesmen
- Iowa Stubborn – Townspeople
- (Ya Got) Trouble – Harold Hill and Townspeople
- Piano Lesson/If You Don’t Mind – Marian Paroo, Mrs. Paroo, Amaryllis * Goodnight, My Someone – Marian Paroo
- Columbia, Gem of the Ocean - Children and Teens
- Seventy-Six Trombones – Harold Hill, Children of River City
- Ice Cream/Sincere – Olin Britt, Oliver Hix, Ewart Dunlop, Jacey Squires
- Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little/Good Night, Ladies – Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, Maud Dunlop, Ethel Toffelmier, Alma Hix, Mrs. Squires and Pickalittle Ladies
- The Wells Fargo Wagon – Gracie Shinn, Winthrop Paroo, Townspeople
- Shipoopi – Marcellus Washburn, Harold Hill, Marian Paroo, Townspeople
- Pick-a-Little, Talk-a-Little (reprise) – Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, Maud Dunlop, Ethel Toffelmier, Alma Hix, Mrs. Squires and Pickalittle Ladies
- Gary, Indiana – Winthrop, Mrs. Paroo, Marian Paroo
- Till There Was You – Marian Paroo, Harold Hill
- Bows – Company
In the Kids Version, the songs “Ice Cream/Sincere,” “Goodnight Ladies” and “Till There Was You” are not performed.
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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