Critics appreciated the talented array of performers but felt the show itself was unremarkable. The New York Times' Lewis Funke, who called Van Dyke an "amiable performer," claimed that without Walker and Lahr the "entertainment at the Alvin would be somewhat tedious going, indeed." The production closed after 16 performances.
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For his breakout performance as Albert Peterson, Van Dyke received the 1961 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. He would later reprise his Broadway role in the 1963 film adaptation starring Maureen Stapleton and Janet Leigh.
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Directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd, the production opened June 5, 1980. The critical response was that Van Dyke was good — too good, in fact, to play a crook like Harold Hill.
"He's a nimble performer," wrote Walter Kerr in his New York Times review, "but he's a straight shooter, honest from the word go, virtue spilling out of every pocket, innocence written all over him where sly graffiti should be. He's simply — and only — nice." The revival closed after 21 performances at City Center.
Read the Playbill for The Music Man here.