Editing The Music Man (section)

===Original Broadway production===
After years of development, a change of producers, almost forty songs (twenty-two were cut), and more than forty drafts, the original [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production was produced by [[Kermit Bloomgarden]], directed by [[Morton DaCosta]] and choreographed by [[Onna White]]. ''The Music Man'' opened on December 19, 1957, at the [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Filichia |first=Peter |title=Let's Put on a Musical!: How to Choose the Right Show for Your School, Community, or Professional Theater |date=2004-05-01 |publisher=[[Watson-Guptill Publications]] |isbn=978-0823088171}}</ref> It played at the Majestic for nearly three years before transferring to [[The Broadway Theatre]] and completing its 1,375 performance run there on April 15, 1961. The original cast included [[Robert Preston (actor)|Robert Preston]] (who reprised his role in the [[The Music Man (1962 film)|1962 screen adaptation]]) as Harold Hill, [[Barbara Cook]] as Marian, [[Eddie Hodges]] as Winthrop, [[Pert Kelton]] as Mrs. Paroo, [[Iggie Wolfington]] as Marcellus Washburn and [[David Burns (actor)|David Burns]] as Mayor Shinn.

Preston left the show in January 1959 and was replaced by [[Eddie Albert]] for 18 months. In June 1960 Preston returned for two weeks until his successor [[Bert Parks]] could replace him. Parks finished the Broadway run while Preston was busy with the screen version. [[Paul Ford]] was a replacement for David Burns as Mayor Shinn, later reprising the role in the film version.

[[Howard Bay (designer)|Howard Bay]] designed the sets. [[Don Walker (orchestrator)|Don Walker]] orchestrated the score.<ref name="IBDB">{{Cite web |title=The Music Man |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/the-music-man-2664 |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=[[Internet Broadway Database]]}}</ref> The musical won five [[Tony Award]]s, including Best Musical, winning in the same year that ''[[West Side Story (musical)|West Side Story]]'' was nominated for the award.  Preston, Cook and Burns also won.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Music Man |url=https://playbill.com/Show/Detail/7849/The-Music-Man |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625085102/https://playbill.com/Show/Detail/7849/The-Music-Man |archive-date=2016-06-25 |access-date=2024-11-18 |website=[[Playbill]]}}</ref> [[Liza Redfield]] became the first woman to be the full-time conductor of a Broadway pit orchestra when she assumed the role of music director for the original production's final year of performances beginning in May 1960.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Genzlinger |first=Neil |author-link=Neil Genzlinger |date=2018-12-28 |title=Liza Redfield, Who Broke a Broadway Barrier, Is Dead at 94 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/28/obituaries/liza-redfield-dead.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720152133/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/28/obituaries/liza-redfield-dead.html |archive-date=2023-07-20 |access-date=2024-11-18 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> The long-running American tour began in 1958, starring [[Forrest Tucker]] as Hill and [[Joan Weldon]] as Marian.<ref name=Ovrtur>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ovrtur.com/show/120385/productions|title=Productions|website=Ovrtur.com|access-date=2016-01-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Hudson |first=Edward |date=1986-10-27 |title=Forrest Tucker, 67, Is Dead; Film, TV and Stage Veteran |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/27/obituaries/forrest-tucker-67-is-dead-film-tv-and-stage-veteran.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122043201/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/27/obituaries/forrest-tucker-67-is-dead-film-tv-and-stage-veteran.html |archive-date=2023-11-22 |access-date=February 7, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>