GET READY BROADWAY FANS! It’s time once again for another great performance on our Top 30 Tony Awards. Broadway’s biggest night is only 14 days away.
At #14 is another toe-tapping and hair teasing showstopper. It follows the story of an overweight teenager who has big dreams, loves to dance, seeks true love, and tries to integrate a National TV dance show in 1960’s Baltimore. This is course Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman‘s smash hit?Hairspray.
HAIRSPRAY (based on the classic John Waters film of the same name) premiered at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle earning critical acclaim before moving into Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre in 2002 where it ran for an acclaimed 6 years and 2,642 performances. It was nominated for 12 Tonys in 2003 winning 8 including Best Musical.
Besides the original film, there are 2 remakes of the HAIRSPRAY… In 2007 (first film version of the musical), starring Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, and an all star cast and coming up this Holiday season with NBC‘s live televised remake which will feature Grammy and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, Tony winner Martin Short, Dancing with the Stars and Broadway bound?Derek Hough, and Tony winner Harvey Fierstein reprising his Tony winning performance of Edna Turnblad (and is also doing the script). HAIRSPRAY LIVE is set to air December 7th.
WAKE UP BROADWAY FANS. We are your alarm clock getting you out of bed with New York Broadway Tours‘ Top 30 Tony Awards Countdown playing you the best toe-tapping performances from the past telecasts with Broadway’s biggest night only 24 days away.
At #24 today on our countdown, we take a trip to River City, Iowa where a superstitious salesman is playing a game of hit and run trying to organize an all boys marching band leader and selling instruments until he meets the woman that turns his world upside down. The superstitious man I am talking about Harold Hill, better known as THE MUSIC MAN, written by the incredible Meredith Wilson.
From the 2000 telecast, Tony nominees Craig Berko, Rebecca Luker, and the company of that same year’s revival perform the show’s toe-tapping marching number and the show’s signature song 76 TROMBONES.
THE MUSIC MAN first premiered in 1975 at Broadway’s Majestic Theatre starring Tony winners Robert Preston and Barbara Cook Official running for a total of 1,375 performances. It was nominated for 9 Tony Awards that same year winning 5 including Best Musical. In 1962, Preston went on to reprise his role in the Warner Brothers film adaptation (which he co-starred?Shirley Jones). In 1965, the show was brought back for a 2 week engagement revival at New York City Center starring Stage and Screen legend Dick Van Dyke and Meg Bussert. The most recent revival happened in 2000 at Broadway’s Neil Simon Theatre starring Craig Berko and Rebecca Luker running for a total of 721 performances. That musical would later be remade on screen in the 2003 TV Movie for Disney and ABC Television Network starring Tony winners and Broadway favorites Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth
Doesn’t this show make you want to get up and join the parade?!
