Who Was Meredith Willson?

In just under a week, The Music Man officially opens at the Winter Garden Theatre. Created in a time dominated by the works of musical theatre luminaries like Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Lowe and Leonard Bernstein, the musical is considered one of the greatest works of Broadway's Golden Age, though it was written by a lesser-known genius.

Before opening night, study up on the life and career of the original Music Man, Meredith Willson.

Who is Meredith Willson?

Meredith Willson was an American composer, who was also known for his work as a bandleader, playwright, and author. In his lifetime, he wrote three Broadway musicals and composed various songs and symphonies.

He was born Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson on May 18, 1902 in Mason City, Iowa. Willson attended Frank Damrosch's Institute of Musical Art, which would go on to become the Juilliard School. As an accomplished flute and piccolo player, he performed with John Philip Sousa's band as well as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra before moving to San Francisco, to begin working in radio. He became writing film scores in Hollywood in the 19040s and shifted his talents to the stage in the following decade.

Willson passed away in 1984 at 82 years old due to heart failure. He is buried in his hometown of Mason City, Iowa.

What is Meredith Willson known for?

Meredith Willson is best known for writing the music, lyrics and book (with Franklin Lacey) for The Music Man, which premiered on Broadway in 1957. The musical, set in Willson's home state of Iowa, was developed over eight years, during which it went through many iterations and revisions (including 22 cut songs).

The original production was directed by Morton DaCosta and starred Barbara Cook and Robert Preston. The mega-hit won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical (beating West Side Story), and went on to play for almost five years and 1375 performances. It has since been revived on Broadway in 1980 and 2000 and adapted into a 1962 film and a 2003 made-for-TV movie.

The third Broadway revival of The Music Man will open at the Winter Garden Theatre on February 10, 2022, starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster.

What other musicals did Meredith Willson write?

Though Willson found his greatest success with The Music Man, he also penned two other Broadway musicals.

The Unsinkable Molly Brown opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1960 (while The Music Man was still running), where it ran for 532 performances. It featured a book by Richard Morris and starred Tammy Grimes in the title role. Debbie Reynolds would go on to play the character in a 1964 film version.

His lesser-known Here's Love, a musical adaptation of Miracle on 34th Street, played for 334 performances at the Shubert Theatre in 1963.

His final musical, 1491, was about Columbus' famous voyage to America. It never opened on Broadway, but played at the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera in 1969.

What else did Meredith Willson write?

Willson's legacy extends far beyond the Broadway stage. He composed several symphonic works, including Symphony No. 1 in F minor: A Symphony of San Francisco, and Symphony No. 2 in E minor: Missions of California.

His contributions to popular music included Glenn Miller's "You and I," "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas," "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You", and "I See the Moon". He also composed the fight songs for the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

Willson wrote three memoirs in his lifetime: And There I Stood With My Piccolo (1948), Eggs I Have Laid (1955), and But He Doesn't Know the Territory (1959).

How is Meredith Willson remembered?

Visitors to Mason City, Iowa can enjoy The Music Man Square- an indoor recreation of the musical's streetscape. It includes a museum that features a modified version of Willson's childhood home.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan posthumously awarded Willson the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Juilliard School's only residence hall was dedicated to Willson in 2005.