‘The Music Man,’ What Theater Fans and Critics Love About the Broadway Revival

Finally, the highly-anticipated Broadway revival of The Music Man has opened its doors to theater fans and critics. Now at the Winter Garden Theatre, lucky members of the audience are in for what’s being hailed as the performance of Hugh Jackman’s career.

Jackman, cast in the infamous leading role of Professor Harold Hill, has ample experience playing a charming conman from his part of P.T Barnum in The Greatest Showman. Plus, after a long COVID-related delay, the hype for The Music Man had plenty of time to mount.

Does Meredith Willson’s classic musical live up to its great expectation? Here are what theater fans and critics are saying about The Music Man.

Is The Music Man a must-see or a miss?

When it comes to The Music Man reviews, there seems to be a few things theater fans and critics can agree on. One, Hugh Jackman is incredible. In fact, he is so incredible that he often deserts the rest of the actors on stage by transcending into the realm of greatness.

But this is Broadway—shouldn’t everybody on stage be great? Another observation of The Music Man that everyone can agree on is that, at times, the production falls short of the high performance standard set up by its star. One aspect of the show that never falls short, however, is Warren Carlyle’s astonishing choreography—especially when performed by the extremely accomplished child actors.

The Music Man, which originally premiered in 1952, takes place in 1912 in a small Iowan town. Though the production was given the big-Broadway-treatment by director Jerry Zaks, the result maintains the old charm of Willson’s original show. Actually, Zaks took great lengths to hail audience members back to a time before—even down to the Playbill typeface.

Even with Hugh Jackman’s unforgettable acting and performance, and the small (yet dutiful) touches of way-back-when, The Music Man does fall short of artistic perfection. But flaws aside, for lifelong fans of the original score, The Music Man revival remains a must-see on Broadway.

What does Hugh Jackman bring to Broadway?

If anything is going to persuade you to head to Broadway for a showing of The Music Man, it’ll likely be Hugh Jackman’s performance. According to Variety, Jackman’s character Harold Hill is “a role made for Jackman, a song-and-dance man who can also act up a storm.”

They determine Jackman’s performance as “dazzling.” Jackman executes his song numbers, such as “Ya Got Trouble” and “76 Trombones, with “unabashed relish.” Unsurprisingly, Jackman is the natural leading showman—and an integral piece to Broadway’s big comeback.

Sutton Foster is cast as Marian, the town librarian. Though Jackman’s performance can veer inward at times, Foster’s portrayal of Marian remains, according to the New York Times, “witty and front-facing throughout.”

What do Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster, and the rest of The Music Man cast bring to Broadway? We think it boils down to pride. The acting, along with the song and dance, do not disappoint the reputation of Meredith Wilson’s classic musical. At times, the performance can even be magical.

Finally, Hugh Jackman on Broadway is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity fans deserve after the shuttering of the theater district’s doors in March 2020. After years of uncertainty, the return of Hugh Jackman and The Music Man to Broadway is a dreamy consolation.

How to Buy The Music Man Tickets

Here at TickPick, we have an expansive selection of tickets for The Music Man. On sale from now through November 6, 2022, fans have awhile to decide when is the best time to see The Music Man on Broadway. But we suggest buying your tickets soon, as The Music Man—led by the renown Hugh Jackman—is bound to sell out quickly.