Conan O'Brien Wants to Play Harold Hill in THE MUSIC MAN

While The Music Man is scheduled to close on Broadway on January 1st, in a recent interview with Ad Week, Conan O'Brien said there is one thing he has always wanted to do: play Harold Hill.

"Someday I'd like to play The Music Man's Harold Hill. I really just want to do the "[Ya Got] Trouble" song. There was an opportunity years ago for me to possibly step in when there was a vacancy in The Music Man [on Broadway] back in the 2000s. I was doing the Late Night show at the same time, and it became clear that wouldn't work. But, man, if there's a world where I could come out, tag in and do the "Trouble" song-I'm not sure I'm built for the whole musical-that would be my dream.

I've been obsessed with it. I wrote a Simpsons episode that features a Music Man parody, [1993's "Marge vs. the Monorail"]. It's been an obsession of mine for a long time. I think I am, at the end of the day, a vaudevillain. I love putting on a show, grease paint, people in horse costumes backstage and the crowds lining up."

O'Brien was chosen in 1993 to replace David Letterman as host of The Late Show, and then became host of The Tonight Show until, controversially, Jay Leno returned in 2010, and O'Brien moved to his own show CONAN on TBS, where he remained until June 2021, when the show ended it's 11-year run. O'Brien is known for bringing musical comedy to his show, including regular bits like "Conan Sings a Lullaby," and performances with The Basic Cable Band. Watch Conan sing with Josh Groban here:

The Broadway revival of The Music Man currently stars two-time Tony Award, Grammy Award, and Emmy Award-winning star Hugh Jackman as Harold Hill. The final block of tickets for The Music Man are currently on sale for performances through January 1.

One of the most universally cherished treasures of the American musical theater, The Music Man was an instant smash hit when it premiered on Broadway on December 19, 1957. It went on to win five Tony Awards, including the prize for Best Musical, and ran for 1,375 performances. The Smithsonian Institution ranks The Music Man as one of the "great glories" of American popular culture.