It looks like a squeaky-clean season for the Muny in ‘09, with six productions skedded that aren’t just family-friendly, they’re Osmond-family friendly.
“Meet Me in St. Louis,” “42nd Street,” “The Music Man,” “Godspell,” “Camelot” and “Annie” will be presented. The order hasn’t been decided yet, and neither has the 7th show.
lol @ trashing a theater critc as “liberal”. Yeah, can’t we get some conservative theater critics up in here? Get back to me when you find some.
Reruns should be relegated to TV shows in the summer. That’s pretty much why we gave up our season tickets. They let us vote and put on the same lineup every 4-5 years basically. I’m betting show #7 will be “The Muny Salutes Redundancy Again”.
Wow. Annie again? I enjoy all of these shows, but they have been played out at this venue. I hope the 7th show is a better one.
If you take a look at the 2008 line up and compare it to 2009, I can tell you what probably happened: the MUNY had lower attendance and revenue. That, on top of an economic downturn, kept and will keep people away. The MUNY is a business. If you don’t give the majority what they want, you go out of business. They probably looked at the 2004 season and saw that it was very successful and thus the lineup for 2009. Go to your Stages, go to your Rep. They have great shows too, but last year was the first year I didn’t take in even one show at the MUNY because of their lineup. With the 2009 lineup, I might take in all six or seven!
These shows have all been here within the last couple of years, we need
some new shows or at least shows that have not been here for at least 10
years. I will still get my season pass but I an not happy with the selection this year, not that I don’t like these shows but I have seen
them quite a few time since I have been a season ticket holder.
Looking at the show archives, looks like they play Annie every 5 years since 1978. Camelot doesn’t have a regular schedule, but it has played 7 times at the Muny, the last being in 2002. 42nd St has played 5 times, with about 5 years in between each showing. This year is right on target. It has also been 6 years since Godspell played, back in 2003. Meet Me in St. Louis has played 9 times, with the last time being in 2004, but I can understand that being so popular. The Music Man has played 10 times, also with the last time being in 2004.
It appears the Muny will bore long-time loyal subscribers in hopes of attracting new families to their roster. I think that’s foolish since there ARE SO MANY SHOWS THEY COULD DO!!! I went to every show in 2007, but 2008 was not a great season. I was one to leave in the middle of the show (Miss Saigon) not because I had a screaming kid, but because I was bored!
I would appreciate them debuting a major production at the Muny, like in 2007 with Le Miz. I was in Section A for that one, and I am normally a free seater.
How about some socially relevant shows to counter some of this nostalgia!
Going out on a limb here and showing my age, but what ever happened to the Muny bringing in “stars” who appeared in various roles? Even so called ‘D-List” stars appearing in stage productions would be fun. PBS had a great presentation of South Pacific which included Alec Baldwin. It’s amazing to think about Yul Brenner and other note worthy starts who appeared in Muny productions, unfortunately, decades ago.
The Muny’s history does show a pattern however 7 times in 90 years does not seem to often. 5 of the 7 shows last year had never been played at The Muny or had only been there once. The Producers, which is one of my favorite shows and was done by The Muny last year had poor attendance. So for those of you who keep asking for new shows in St. Louis, buy tickets when theatres show them. Certain shows sell here in St. Louis and some don’t. The Fox is doing Sweeny Todd this week and it has not been in St. Louis but I am sure you can call and get a good seat.
I think another side to this issue is novelty. If the Muny wants to put on four or five proven successes, more power to them for keeping a weather eye on their fan base (and on business side of their operation). But do nearly all or all of their shows for the season have to be from the regular rotation list? If family-friendliness is the buzzword this year, try at least a few lesser-known (maybe even more recent) G-rated productions.
Also, remember: it’s the method that’s objective, not the person. Although there isn’t really a method to be heard of here, besides posting the events.
While I really enjoyed Miss Saigon last year, I was sorely disappointed when the theater wasn’t near full…a first for me at the Muny (previous shows included Les Miz, Joseph, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, & Camelot). If you don’t like the shows, don’t go. I think the Muny does a great job with both edgy fare and family friendly shows, so I’ll go either way. And if you want edgy, go to the Off Ramp series by the Rep, or the Fox usually offers a few edgy shows a year.