Hugh Jackman Will Return to Broadway in The Music Man

Tony winner Hugh Jackman will head back to the Great White Way next year, taking on the role of Harold Hill in a new production of Meredith Willson's Tony-winning musical comedy The Music Man. Directed by Tony winner Jerry Zaks, choreographed by Tony winner Warren Carlyle and music-directed by Patrick Vaccariello, previews will begin on September 9, 2020 with an opening night set for October 22 at a Shubert venue to be announced.

"The first musical I was ever a part of was the phenomenal The Music Man," said Jackman. "The year was 1983, and I was at Knox Grammar School in Sydney, Australia. I was one of the traveling salesmen, and I think I can actually (almost) remember that unforgettable opening number! That was probably the moment when the magic of theater was born in me."

Jackman earned a Tony Award for his Broadway-debut turn portraying the late, legendary entertainer Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. He earned an Olivier nomination for his performance as Curly in an acclaimed West End revival of Oklahoma! In addition to his Oscar-nominated turn as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, he has been seen on-screen in the Wolverine film series and the movie musical The Greatest Showman. Jackman won an Emmy Award as host of the 58th Annual Tony Awards and will soon launch an international concert tour set to kick off in Hamburg, Germany.

The Music Man follows traveling salesman Harold Hill (Jackman) as he cons the people of River City, Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys band that he vows to organize, despite the fact that he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. When he soon falls for the town librarian, Marian Paroo, his plans take an unexpected turn. The show features now classic tunes including "Iowa Stubborn," "(Ya Got) Trouble," "Goodnight My Someone," "76 Trombones," "Marian the Librarian" and "Till There Was You."

The Music Man will feature scenic/costume design by Santo Loquasto, lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound design by Scott Lehrer, with orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick and dance arrangements by David Chase.

This will mark the third Broadway revival of The Music Man. The last production, in 2000, starred Craig Bierko as Harold Hill opposite Rebecca Luker as Marian; a 1980 revival featured Dick Van Dyke and Meg Bussert; the original 1957 staging starred Robert Preston and Barbara Cook. A 1962 film adaptation featured Preston reprising his Broadway turn alongside Shirley Jones; a 2003 TV movie starred Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth.

Additional casting and creative team for the 2020 Broadway revival will be announced at a later date.