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Meredith’s Willson’s The Music Man
Written by Jimmy
In DC; got tickets to go see The Music Man at the Arena Stage. Always loved the movie, especially Shirley Jones in the role of Marian, Madam Librarian (my first love).
A couple things that amazed me again seeing this. First, all the work of one man, Meredith Willson, who took six years and 40 drafts. He’s essentially Winthrop Paroo, the boy with the lisp (Ron Howard**), with a piano teacher for a mum, growing up in Mason City (nicknamed River City, the name in the play) around 1912. The second thing is how stunningly original the music/lyrics are. There are the beautiful songs (Till There was You – covered by Beatles*), but also very inventive songs, including Marian The Librarian and Rock Island:
Meredith also wrote It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, which automatically should remind you of Will Freeman (Nick’s not too subtle on this one), who is ‘an island’, living off the proceeds of his dad’s Christmas song, Santa’s Super Sleigh. And that should remind you of Badly Drawn Boy’s soundtrack and Something to Talk About:
Which should lead you full circle back to Music Man and Meredith’s song about nothing to talk about, Pick-a-little, Talk-a-little:
Jimmy
(DC)
And for the completist, here’s Till There Was You, covered by the Beatles:
…and Ron Howard as Winthrop Paroo, singing Gary India with Shirley Jones (my first love):