One Minute World Arts- Hugh Jackman’s The Music Man: A Box Office Success


The Hugh Jackman-led revival of the musical The Music Man has become the new box office leader at the re-opened Broadway. Ever since its premiere in 1957, The Music Man has been very popular with the audiences, and won several Tony Awards, including the Best Musical. Till There Was You, one of the best known songs from the musical, was even covered by the Beatles in 1963.

​The music of The Music Man was composed by Meredith Willson, while its lyrics and plot were co-created and co-written by American playwright Franklin Lacey and Willson himself. The story of the musical can be evil at times, but is generally fun, romantic, and moving; it centers upon Harold Hill, a con man in disguise as a music expert – despite that he knows very little about music, who tries to convince the residents in River City, Iowa, to form a Town Band for young people to make them stay interested in their pursuits, and thus pocket the cash for instruments and uniforms. However, the development of the plotline takes an unexpected twist when Hill falls in love with Marian, a local librarian who is among the few that are suspicious of his identity and purpose. Their unlikely love affair is highlighted by Willson’s wonderful songs and music, and audiences of different generations have therefore been charmed to embrace such an entertaining and inspiring musical.

 

新版《歡樂音樂妙無窮》襲捲百老匯

​由休・傑克曼(Hugh Jackman)領銜主演的音樂劇《#歡樂音樂妙無窮》(The Music man)票房告捷,穩居疫情後重新開張的百老匯賣座冠軍。自1957年首演以來,此劇一直備受觀眾喜愛,還贏得多項東尼獎,其中包括最佳音樂劇的殊榮;而劇中的名曲《直到遇見了你》(Till There Was You),後來也曾被天團 #披頭四(The Beatles)翻唱過。

​《歡樂音樂妙無窮》的樂曲為梅勒迪斯・威爾森(Meredith Willson)所作,歌詞、情節則是由他和富蘭克林・萊西(Franklin Lacey)共同發想、編寫而成。這部時而邪惡、有趣,時而浪漫、感人的經典劇作,主要是以一名喬裝成音樂專家的騙子哈洛德・希爾為核心:儘管希爾對音樂一竅不通,卻仍憑著花言巧語,鼓吹愛荷華州里弗城(River City, Iowa)的家長,讓孩子們成立樂隊,好向他們兜售樂器和制服,從中詐取錢財。不過,故事後來的發展峰迴路轉,希爾愛上了識破他伎倆的圖書館員瑪莉安,兩人間歷盡波折的戀情,配上生動感人的音樂,吸引了無數觀眾的目光。

 

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/....../music-man-broadway.html
https://stageagent.com/shows/musical/839/the-music-man
https://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_m/music_man.htm

​Photo credit: Julieta Cervantes、Joan Marcus