Hitchin Thespians are presenting Meredith Willson s The Music Man, which opened on Broadway in 1957 and went on to win eight Tony awards in 1958. It tells the story of Professor Harold Hill, a con man who travels to a small town of River City, Iowa to ma

Hitchin Thespians are presenting Meredith Willson's The Music Man, which opened on Broadway in 1957 and went on to win eight Tony awards in 1958.

It tells the story of Professor Harold Hill, a con man who travels to a small town of River City, Iowa to make his fortune. He decides to convince the town that they need a boys' band even though he can't read a note of music, and plans to disappear with the money he makes, once the boys have paid for their instruments and uniforms.

All goes to plan until he meets the prim, town librarian, Marian Paroo, but when Hill helps her younger brother, instead of exposing him as a fraud she finds herself falling in love with him.

Such is the admiration for The Music Man, that many others have covered the songs.

The song Till There Was You was covered by the Beatles in 1963 and the popular television series Ally McBeal included several of the numbers from the show too.

Others have parodied Music Man, such as the iconic cartoon series The Simpsons in the Marge vs. the Monorail episode and in Family Guy, it has been featured twice no less!

On the silver screen, songs from The Music Man appear in the The Wedding Singer, the character Robbie (played by Adam Sandler) teaches Rosie to sing 'Til There Was You for her 50th wedding anniversary and in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Michele (played by Lisa Kudrow) sings The Wells Fargo Wagon.

The Thespians will be performing The Music Man from 8-13 March at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage. Tickets can be booked from the box office on 01438 363200 or online www.gordon-craig.co.uk