One interesting fact from the book: Winthrop was originally supposed to have cerebral palsy but that was deemed too serious for a musical comedy. There was literally an “A-ha!” moment about making it a lisp. Originally the solo in “Wells Fargo Wagon” was going to go to an unnamed juvenile in the chorus. (I can’t believe I remember that… I haven’t read to book for decades.)
Another factoid: in the film “The Apartment” Jack Lemmon was supposed to meet up with Shirley MacLaine at the show, and it was filmed outside the actual theater where The Music Man was playing.
I freaking love the show, in case you couldn’t tell.
Another theatre book is The Street Where I Live by Alan Jay Lerner which is about the stories behind My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Gigi both theatre and film versions (or just film version in the case of Gigi)
And of course, there’s the ultimate theatre memoir: Moss Hart’s <em>Act One</em>