By Lynn Venhaus
Wow, just wow!
The latest heart-warming production of “Meet Me in St. Louis,” which is self-referential – us sitting in Forest Park watching a musical about the 1904 World’s Fair set in Forest Park, is so remarkable that with the Muny’s utmost care and dedication, all our collective memories came alive.
We felt it, the nearly 8,000 of us gathered on Friday. That connection, that thread linking each one of us, elicited never-ending smiles on a summer night. Just as our ancestors did, we reveled in the Muny magic under the stars
This cherished musical’s ninth time on that renowned stage is thrilling, sentimental and even tear-jerking. After all, it’s unmistakably “right here in St. Louis,” which is a vibrant valentine to the community.
Director Maggie Burrows and her creative team established a homey feel, leaning into the happy golden days of yore.
That sense of wonder, of awe, and a swelling of civic pride came together organically to celebrate our treasured traditions and what makes our region so special through the devoted designers/ technical team. They feel the same way, and it shows.
In fact, the visual storytelling splendors they’ve designed are unprecedented – we’ve never seen these melded in such a spectacular way. Set designer Ann Beyersdorfer’s re-imagining of the Smith’s Victorian home at 5135 Kensington Place is a revolving work of art, a picturesque red-brick exterior and richly period-detailed interior on the Muny’s massive turntable (master technicians, we salute you).
Add the changing seasons – once again, falling snow, like “Frozen” did last year for winter, and the natural beauty of trees framing the stage. The whole feel of the panoramic landscapes of our fair city, 1903-1904, as we keep rolling along on the shores of the Mississippi River.
New York-based Beyersdorfer, a Belleville native who has designed seven sets for the Muny, three for Stages St. Louis (current “Guys and Dolls”), and the upcoming “Little Women” for The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, has created lasting memories here.
The scenic design, paired with the ravishing video designs by Greg Emetaz and Kylee Loera, was a next-level display of what the Muny artisans are capable of, and the breathtaking sights prompted the audience to cheer and applaud loudly multiple times. The recreation of vintage lithograph postcards was exquisite.
The stage musical, first commissioned by and for the Muny in 1960, has always offered comforting nostalgia about the simple joys of childhood and affectionate family dynamics.
Let’s face it, the storyline is a deluxe Hallmark movie. Warm and winsome that it is, the Smith family drama occurs when a planned move to New York City throws plans awry, including romance for the two eldest daughters and being here when St. Louis hosts the World’s Fair.
Officially the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which honored Lewis and Clark’s westward expansion and celebrated technology, culture and industry, the fair took place from April 30 to Dec. 1, 1904, on 1,200 acres in Forest Park.
It was the first time the Olympic games were held in the U.S., and introduced such foods as hot dogs, ice cream cones, cotton candy and iced tea. More than 60 countries and 43 states took part, and it attracted 20 million visitors.
Because the show matters so much here, the cast’s bond to the story was strong, honoring it with sincerity and joy. St. Louisan Colin Donnell, a Broadway veteran, is the genial patriarch, Alonzo Smith, who wants the best for his family.
He and his real-life wife, Patti Murin, are captivating anchors, projecting an emotional closeness. She’s appeared at the Muny seven times, last seen as Anna in “Frozen” last summer, and this time as sensible Anna Smith.
Triple-threat dynamo Katerina McCrimmon, fearlessly tackling such iconic roles as Fanny Brice on the national tour of “Funny Girl” in 2023 (brought down the house at the Fox!), and Eva Peron in last summer’s “Evita” here, assuredly slips into Judy Garland’s shoes as strong-willed, kind-hearted Esther Smith.
With her powerhouse vocal range, she balanced belting with vulnerability. She emulated Garland’s rich velvet timbre, combined with her emotional honesty and passionate singing, and they both shared the gift of tender, wistful delivery.
In the eye-popping and jaw-dropping “The Trolley Song,” we followed a moving trolley’s path through turn-of-the-century St. Louis as video projections of neighborhood vistas went by.
Gordon Greenberg’s snappy re-do of the book by Hugh Wheeler, which improved characters, pacing and boosted local references, debuted for the Muny’s 100th anniversary in 2018, and now, just in time for Forest Park’s 150th anniversary, it enveloped us with heart and humor.
Author Sally Benson grew up at that Academy neighborhood address, in the home her father purchased in 1891. Fun fact: her maiden name was Smith and her nickname Tootie. (Spoiler alert: They did move to New York. Sadly, the home was demolished in 1994.)
Her fond recollections were published in short story installments, “The Kensington Stories,” in The New Yorker in 1941, and proved so popular, she turned it into a book in 1942, the basis for the beloved MGM film starring Judy Garland and directed by Vincente Minnelli.
The movie was released in 1944 wartime America, resonating about home and togetherness, and included Garland favorites “The Boy Next Door” and the holiday classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” which McCrimmon makes her own. The movie is no. 10 on the American Film Institute’s 100 best movie musicals.
The show’s music and lyrics are by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, and additional material by George W. Meyer, Edgar Leslie and E. Ray Goetz, Kerry Mills and Andrew B. Sterling.
This refreshed production, with additional orchestrations by John McDaniel, includes the cut song by Rodgers and Hammerstein “Boys and Girls Like You and Me,” originally intended for the film, and the stage debut of “You and I,” a duet sung by Donnelly and Murin.
This year, a new number premiered, “That’s Enough of That,” sung by Tony Award winner Beth Leavel. The Muny fan favorite, whose 13 memorable performances include Mama Rose in “Gypsy” (St. Louis Theater Circle Award), Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” and Aunt Eller in “Oklahoma,” portrays the lovable housekeeper, Katie Connelly. During the song, she dispenses wry, wise advice to the two oldest Smith daughters, Rose and Esther.
The song is written by Mark Sonnenblick, with orchestrations by Greg Anthony Rassen. Sonnenblick is having a banner year, after winning an Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for collaborating on the smash hit “Golden” from “K Pop Demon Hunters” (a joyful mental loop).
A musical theater composer and lyricist, he’s written additional lyrics for the musical “The Devil Wears Prada” and the films “Spirited,” “Theater Camp” and “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile.” He also wrote the opening song Pink performed at this year’s Tony Awards.
It’s nice to know that Mike Isaacson, executive producer and artistic director, is open to fresh ideas and making updates to outdated shows.
The enthusiastic principals demonstrated a tight-knit communal feel, with noteworthy turns by Stan Brown as retired doctor Grandpa Prophater, Kyla Stone as oldest sister Rose, Andrew Poston as boy next door John Truitt, Ilan Eskenazi as brother Lon Smith, Joylin Bass as younger sister Agnes, Gregory Lee Rodriguez as Rose’s beau Warren Sheffield, and Emma Crow as Lon’s sophisticated outsider girlfriend Lucille Ballard.
Spunky Lilah Levinson as mischievous youngest sister Tootie stole all her scenes, comically landing every line.
A spirited ensemble, under the fine music direction of Paul Byssainthe Jr. and choreographer Sarah Meahl, helped the realistic feel — Leah Berry, Chloe Chamberlin, Jason Goldston, Beau Harmon (a funny Pee-wee Drummond!), Ava Noble, Ben Nordstrom, Sandra Valeska Orozco, Jasmine Overbaugh, Ronan Ryan, Gordon Semeatu, Drew Tanabe, Bronwyn Tarboton, Allie Villhard and Justus Wheatley (who is spotlighted singing a popular beer garden song “Under the Anheuser Bush” as the Christmas Ball band singer.
Kailey Bender and Michael Santomassimo are the swings, with Michael associate choreographer and dance captain, too. The Muny Youth Ensemble also took part.
The cast was fabulously costumed by Leon Dobkowski, with gorgeous all-white finery for the fair, elegant jewel-toned gowns for the Christmas ball and everyday vintage apparel, with Kelley Jordan’s natural-looking wig designs of cascading curls and braids.
The razzle-dazzle in a grand finale seemed to have multiple moving parts that will be talked about for years, starting with a magnificent reveal of lighting designer Paige Seber’s festive World’s Fair, followed by fireworks. Kudos to Director of Production Tracy Utzmyers and Technical Director Theo Prifti, and their teams.
During a lively curtain call, we joined the cast singing the title song, but the production people weren’t done yet with the wow factor. It’s as if they pushed farther to see what new heights they could achieve to celebrate our twin crown jewels, the Muny and Forest Park.
Putting a cherry on top, we watched our St. Louis skyline/history unfold, including the Arch being built and other nods to our heritage. This happy ending on an extraordinary night was akin to everyone wearing their hearts on their sleeves, feeling the ties that bind us, and roars and repeated ovations erupted.
The Muny presents “Meet Me in St. Louis” Aug. 6 – 13 at 8:15 p.m. Performances take place on the Muny’s outdoor stage in Forest Park. For more information, visit muny.org.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.
