Statewide Iowa — Iowa-born composer and playwright Meredith Willson is the focus of a new documentary that will premiere next month.
Caryline Clark, engagement manager for Iowa PBS, says “Meredith Willson: America’s Music Man” follows his long and accomplished career as well as his devotion to his home state.
The documentary will air statewide on Iowa PBS on February 28th at 6:30 PM, but there will also be two special early showings on the big screen, the first of which will be held in Willson’s hometown. That world premiere is scheduled for 1 PM on February 11th at Music Man Square in Mason City.
An Iowa City premiere of the documentary is scheduled for the following day, February 12th at 1 PM in the Voxman Music Building on the University of Iowa campus.
Clark says Iowans who’ve made the journey to New York City to see Willson’s most famous musical will recognize a familiar voice in the documentary.
First appearing on Broadway in 1957 and adapted for film twice, “The Music Man” took Willson eight years and 30 revisions to complete — and he wrote more than 40 songs for it. Seating is limited at the two free screenings so people who want to attend need to register in advance at: iowapbs.org/events.
