‘The Music Man’ tour star says the role is a dream come true

With respect to other touring shows like “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “& Juliet” and “Beetlejuice,” Elliott Andrews says, there’s nowhere he’d rather be than playing Harold Hill in “The Music Man.”

“It’s a different itch we are scratching,” the actor said from a tour stop in Toledo, Ohio. “(Nostalgia) is certainly a part of it. If you want to see an old-school musical comedy or are a theater fan, we are the exact place you should be at 7:30.

“But there are some things in the show that are undeniable. The script’s so good. There are jokes in the script that if you just read them, they’re funny,” he continued. Composer “Meredith Willson was so ahead of his time with the wordplay of it all. People are tapping their toes on the way out, humming the songs on the way out.”

“The Music Man,” the classic about a con man convincing small-town Iowans he can lead their youngsters in a boys band while wooing Marian the librarian, comes to Century II for four performances next weekend, as part of the Broadway in Wichita series.

A native of the Chicago suburbs, Andrews apologizes for his enthusiasm and self-proclaimed “woo-woo” attitude about the musical during a phone interview with the Eagle.

“I’m thrilled to get to do ‘The Music Man.’ Honestly, this is what I’ve been training for my entire life,” he said. “I love doing an old-school musical, and it’s so special to be in the lineage of people who have done ‘Music Man.’”

In the musical, which celebrates its 70th anniversary next year, Harold Hill was played by Robert Preston, who landed the lead in the 1962 film as well. Generations of actors have played the part, most recently Hugh Jackman in a 2022 Broadway revival.

This is the third time in three years that Andrews has landed the role, the first being for a symphonic performance and most recently for the current tour, which began in January and is scheduled to run at least through the end of the year.

“‘Music Man’ is a mountain to climb,” he said, recalling hiding away at parties so he could practice through the lyric-heavy song “Trouble.” “There are no high notes or high kicks, but just the volume of material is quite a bit. Honestly, there is no way to get through it but do it. There’s no way to memorize but sitting down and putting through the work.

“In this life, in this world, in this business for sure, there are very few linear things, very few A-plus-B-equals-C things,” he added. “Memorizing Harold Hill in ‘The Music Man’ is one of those things. If you memorize it and can put in the work, then you can perform it. It is a proud little moment for me.”

Now that he’s in his third incarnation of the role, “This is the least-stressed I’ve been doing a show in a very long time and I have a lot of fun doing it.”

Despite the heavy workload for its lead performer, Andrews said the musical is truly an ensemble piece.

“This show may be called ‘The Music Man,’ but it’s not about me. It’s about us, the team,” he said. “I love being a part of a team. All my air-quote ‘solos’ are group numbers. ‘Trouble,’ ’76 Trombones,’ I’m on stage with the whole cast, and that’s something special and fun about every one. I get to look into my friends’ eyes.”

Director Matt Lenz, Andrews said, “has been real big on community love” for the latest tour.

Every night we’re trying to encourage people “to get out and get to know the people around you, because they are loveable and we can love each other still, even in 2026,” he said.

“If we can bring you some of that community love every night, then we’re doing what we set out to do,” he said.

‘THE MUSIC MAN’ BY BROADWAY IN WICHITA

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 24-25; 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25; 1 p.m. Sunday, April 26

Where: Century II concert hall, 225 W. Douglas

Tickets: $55-$119, from the Century II box office, selectaseat.com or 316-755-7328