The Muny
Encyclopedia
The Muny, short for The Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis, is an outdoor musical theatre, located in Forest Park
, St. Louis, Missouri
. During a summer season that runs every year from mid-June to mid-August, The Muny produces Broadway-style musicals in a historic outdoor amphitheatre
that seats 11,000 people with approximately 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first come, first served basis. The theatre is run by a not-for-profit organization
. The current president and chief executive is Dennis M. Reagan. The current executive producer is Mike Isaacson. 2012 will be The Muny's 94th annual summer season.
began staging pageant
-Masque
s on Art Hill in Forest Park. In 1916, a grassy area between two oak trees on the present site of The Muny was chosen for a production of As You Like It
produced by Margaret Anglin
and starring Sydney Greenstreet
with a local cast of "1,000 St. Louis folk dancers and folk singers."
Soon after, the Convention Board of the St. Louis Advertising Club was looking for an entertainment feature for its thirteenth annual convention, which was to take place June 3, 1917. Mayor Henry Kiel
, attorney Guy Golterman, and Parks Commissioner Nelson Cunliff stepped in and, in forty-nine days (not counting seven lost to rain), created the first municipally owned outdoor theatre in the United States. On June 5, 1917, the opera Aida
was presented on what would become the Muny stage.
In 1919, the new theatre received a name: The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis, or "The Muny" for short. The first show under the Muny banner was Robin Hood
, which opened on June 16, 1919, and featured Mayor Kiel as King Richard
.
In 1930, the stage was equipped with a turntable for performance purposes. It was reconstructed in 1997 because of dilapidation. In 1994, The Muny's Board of Directors founded the Muny Kids, a select group of performers from the ages of 7 to 13 who would travel around St. Louis performing, and in the summer would give preview shows prior to the production. In 1998, the Muny Teens group was formed for the same purpose, featuring teen performers from the ages of 14 to 18.
The Chairman of the Board of the Muny in 2005-2006 was William H.T. Bush
(younger brother of former President George H.W. Bush). The current Chairman of the Board is Richard G. Millman.
s/outdoor theatres that have a larger capacity area, however, The Muny houses the largest number of seats. There is no lawn seating inside The Muny. In addition, The Muny is the largest to host only Broadway-style musical theatre.
The next largest seat capacity theatre in the United States
is the San Manuel Amphitheater in California
housing 10,900 seats.
For a list of other amphitheatres see: List of contemporary amphitheatres.
A history of the celebrities that have performed at The Muny, including a cast listing, can be found on The Muny's website at muny.org
, Annie
, My Fair Lady
, 42nd Street
, West Side Story
and The Wizard of Oz have been the most popular titles, each receiving four productions since 1990. The 2012 Muny season was announced in October 2011, a significant shift from the typical Muny practice of officially announcing the upcoming summer season in the preceding January or February of the same year.
.
Forest Park (St. Louis)
Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers . The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and...
, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. During a summer season that runs every year from mid-June to mid-August, The Muny produces Broadway-style musicals in a historic outdoor amphitheatre
Amphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
that seats 11,000 people with approximately 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first come, first served basis. The theatre is run by a not-for-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. The current president and chief executive is Dennis M. Reagan. The current executive producer is Mike Isaacson. 2012 will be The Muny's 94th annual summer season.
History of The Muny
In 1914, Luther Ely SmithLuther Ely Smith
Luther Ely Smith was a St. Louis, Missouri lawyer, civic booster and is called by the National Park Service the "father of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial."-Early life:Smith was born in Downers Grove, Illinois...
began staging pageant
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
-Masque
Masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio...
s on Art Hill in Forest Park. In 1916, a grassy area between two oak trees on the present site of The Muny was chosen for a production of As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
produced by Margaret Anglin
Margaret Anglin
Mary Margaret Anglin was a Canadian-born Broadway actress, director and producer whom Encyclopædia Britannica calls "one of the most brilliant actresses of her day."...
and starring Sydney Greenstreet
Sydney Greenstreet
Sydney Hughes Greenstreet was an English actor. He is best known for his Warner Bros. films with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre, which include The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca .-Biography:...
with a local cast of "1,000 St. Louis folk dancers and folk singers."
Soon after, the Convention Board of the St. Louis Advertising Club was looking for an entertainment feature for its thirteenth annual convention, which was to take place June 3, 1917. Mayor Henry Kiel
Henry Kiel
Henry W. Kiel was the thirty-second Mayor of Saint Louis, serving from 1913 to 1925.Kiel grew up in St. Louis and attended St. Louis Public Schools and the Smith Academy. His family worked in the construction industry, and Kiel learned the bricklayer's trade from his father...
, attorney Guy Golterman, and Parks Commissioner Nelson Cunliff stepped in and, in forty-nine days (not counting seven lost to rain), created the first municipally owned outdoor theatre in the United States. On June 5, 1917, the opera Aida
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette...
was presented on what would become the Muny stage.
In 1919, the new theatre received a name: The Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis, or "The Muny" for short. The first show under the Muny banner was Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
, which opened on June 16, 1919, and featured Mayor Kiel as King Richard
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
.
In 1930, the stage was equipped with a turntable for performance purposes. It was reconstructed in 1997 because of dilapidation. In 1994, The Muny's Board of Directors founded the Muny Kids, a select group of performers from the ages of 7 to 13 who would travel around St. Louis performing, and in the summer would give preview shows prior to the production. In 1998, the Muny Teens group was formed for the same purpose, featuring teen performers from the ages of 14 to 18.
The Chairman of the Board of the Muny in 2005-2006 was William H.T. Bush
William H.T. Bush
William Henry Trotter "Bucky" Bush is the youngest son of Prescott Sheldon Bush and Dorothy Walker Bush, the younger brother of former President George H.W. Bush, and the uncle of former President George W...
(younger brother of former President George H.W. Bush). The current Chairman of the Board is Richard G. Millman.
2012 season
(Announced October 8, 2012 -- specific show order and dates are to be determined)- Disney's "Aladdin"
- "Chicago"
- "DreamgirlsDreamgirlsDreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio...
" - "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
" - "The King and I"
- Pirates! (or, Gilbert & Sullivan Plunder'd), an adaptation of Gilbert & SullivanGilbert and SullivanGilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's The Pirates of Penzance - "Thoroughly Modern MillieThoroughly Modern Millie (musical)Thoroughly Modern Millie is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, lyrics by Dick Scanlan, and a book by Richard Morris and Scanlan. Based on the 1967 film of the same name, Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the story of a small-town girl, Millie Dillmount, who comes to New York City to marry for...
"
A Muny Production
The Muny produces all of its musicals (typically seven) in the season and operates only in the summer. During the winter, a full-time staff of less than twenty prepare for the approaching summer season. During the season itself, the summer staff expands to include more than 500 people in various positions. All shows are rehearsed within the course of eleven days, with a tech rehearsal being held from midnight to five o'clock on the Sunday morning before the show. Shows run from Monday to Sunday, although there have been exceptions to this, particularly in recent years where each season has had at least one production that enjoys an extended run of nine to eleven performances.Comparison to other outdoor theatres
The Muny website claims it is the "nation's oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre." There are numerous amphitheatreAmphitheatre
An amphitheatre is an open-air venue used for entertainment and performances.There are two similar, but distinct, types of structure for which the word "amphitheatre" is used: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were large central performance spaces surrounded by ascending seating, and were commonly used...
s/outdoor theatres that have a larger capacity area, however, The Muny houses the largest number of seats. There is no lawn seating inside The Muny. In addition, The Muny is the largest to host only Broadway-style musical theatre.
The next largest seat capacity theatre in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is the San Manuel Amphitheater in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
housing 10,900 seats.
For a list of other amphitheatres see: List of contemporary amphitheatres.
Celebrities at The Muny
Since its beginning, The Muny has featured hundreds of big names in theatre, television and film on its stage, drawing inevitably huge crowds.A history of the celebrities that have performed at The Muny, including a cast listing, can be found on The Muny's website at muny.org
Future seasons
During the third to last production of each summer season, survey forms are handed out to audience members. On this survey, audience members are asked to select their top seven choices from a long list of show titles. The most popular selections from this first survey are printed on a second survey, then handed out during the final production of the season. Audience members then choose their top seven choices from this shorter list. The choices change each year, depending on what titles are available and what shows have not been produced for a number of years. The survey results contribute to (though are just one of many determining factors in deciding) show choices for upcoming seasons. The Muny has chiefly operated on a five-year cycle, in which a title cannot be produced again until five seasons have passed. Over the past two decades, Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, Annie
Annie (musical)
Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
, My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
, 42nd Street
42nd Street (musical)
42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit...
, West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
and The Wizard of Oz have been the most popular titles, each receiving four productions since 1990. The 2012 Muny season was announced in October 2011, a significant shift from the typical Muny practice of officially announcing the upcoming summer season in the preceding January or February of the same year.
The Muny Repertory
For a complete listing of all productions since the first season in 1919, view The Muny RepertoryThe Muny Repertory
The Muny, or the Municipal Opera Association of St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States, is a not-for-profit municipally-owned outdoor theatre, the largest in the United States. The Theater was built and opened in 1917 with 6 performances of Verdi's Aida. It operates solely in the summer, and its...
.