Hugh Jackman, who was last seen performing in the hit film The Greatest Showman, will return to Broadway for the revival of The Music Man in 2020.
The classic show, which originally opened on Broadway in 1957 and won the 1958 Tony Award for best musical, will return to the stage again next fall. Scott Rudin, who produced To Kill A Mockingbird, announced earlier this week that The Music Man would begin previews next September and officially open on October 22, 2020 at an unspecified Shubert Theater.
The Music Man revolves around the story of Harold Hill, a scam artist who poses as an organizer of a boys band, selling instruments and uniforms to townspeople by promising that he will train the boys. Harold actually plans on fleeing town with the money, and the librarian and piano teacher Marian catches on to his scheme. However, once she sees Harold helping her younger brother overcome his lisp, she starts to fall in love with him and Harold loses sight of his original plan.
Jackman is set to play Harold, but at this time, no further casting has been announced. The show will be directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, known for his collaboration on the Hello, Dolly! revival in 2017.
The musical originally debuted on Broadway with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. A brief revival of the play appeared in 1980 starring Dick Van Dyke, and another version which opened in 2000 starred Craig Bierko. Additionally, there were film adaptations of the play in both 1962 and 2003.
Jackman has appeared on Broadway four times; he is best-known for his role in The Boy From Oz, which he won a Tony Award as best actor in 2004. He was also awarded a noncompetitive Tony award in 2012 for his volunteer efforts within the Broadway community. In addition to Broadway, he has been featured in several films like The Wolverine, Les Miserables, Rise of the Guardians, and Movie 43. He is set to go on a world arena tour this year entitled “The Man. The Music. The Show.,” where he will perform songs from The Greatest Showman, as well as other Broadway hits.
