The production toured for seven months to generally good business if somewhat mixed reviews before opening at City Center for what was announced as a 12-week run. No specific closing date seems to have been announced, but 12 weeks suggests that the closing date was to have been August 24, 1980.
The production received generally favorable reviews, although Walter Kerr in the New York Times found Dick Van Dyke miscast as Harold Hill. There were some naysayers among the critics, but Variety tabulated the reviews it counted as seven favorable and one “inconclusive” (Kerr’s review having been the inconclusive one). Nonetheless, there was little interest from ticket buyers, and the limited engagement ended up significantly more limited than originally planned.
The first preview for the pre-Broadway run at the Pantages in Los Angeles, scheduled for December 27, 1979, was canceled. The first preview took place on the following evening. The official opening at the Pantages was a special New Year’s Eve performance.
The pre-Broadway run at the Golden Gate in San Francisco, originally announced to end on April 27, 1980, was extended a week through May 4.
