Meet Me In St. Louis

Circle Theatre Company          

http://www.circle-theatre.com

 

 

We’ll do the hoochy-koochy.

I’ll be your tootsy-wootsy.

 

When was the last time you heard lyrics such as these?  If you say “never”, then you have not seen Circle Theatre’s light-hearted production of Meet Me In St. Louis, a musical that’s a perfect fit for the holiday season.  Based on the endearing 1942 Judy Garland movie musical with the same name, Meet Me in St. Louis tells the story of the Smith family (NOT with an “e”) and, in particular, the two older boy-crazy daughters, Esther (Baylea Morgan) and Rose (Jennifer Grubb), as they struggle with the possibility of moving to New York City, leaving behind all that’s familiar in their home town of St. Louis.  The show spans a year’s time, beginning right before the opening of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. 

 

Modern American musical theater prescribes the requisite melding of the script with the music.  Songs are meant to propel the story forward, and are also used for character-development.  Experiencing Meet Me in St. Louis makes one pine for the old-time musical, when it was fine (and expected) to throw in a song or two just for the fun of it, even if the song has little or nothing to do with the story.  Thus we are entertained with the silly “Ghosties and Ghoulies and Things That Go Bump in the Night”, a youthful song that is performed around the Smith kids as they go trick-or-treating, followed by “Halloween Ballet”, a rousing dance number performed by a dozen boo-tiful ghosts and goblins (kudos to choreographer Kevin Bellie).  Add to this the exhuberant “Trolley Song” - one of Judy Garland’s signature pieces (Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!) - complete with a moving trolley that actually fits well on the Circle Theatre’s small stage.  Besides “The Trolley Song”, you’ll recognize a few other ditties, including “The Boy Next Door” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”.

 

Stealing the show is the 8-year old Darragh Quinn Dolan, playing the youngest Smith daughter Tootie.  If there was such a thing as a cute-ometer, she would certainly break the scale, as she wins over the crowd with her addictive energy and charm (picture Shirley Temple meets Cindy Brady).  The main bump in the trolley occurs in the voices, as many of the singers tend to sing flat and are weak on their solos.  Being that this is a musical, this is unfortunate.  Luckily, though, the cast makes up for it by creating a well-rehearsed sonorous sound when singing as an ensemble. 

 

The stars of this show, notably, are not the actors, but instead shine on the design team.  Bob Knuth and assistant Lori Willis have created a set that is both beautiful and ingenious, consisting of the Smith’s charming living room, whose walls then pull back, creating a trellised garden for the outdoor scenes.  The costumes were no-doubt a labor-of-love for Suzanne Mann.  She has done a brilliant job with the multitude of period costumes that are exquisitely made with fine detail.  Remarkably, each of the 21-cast member has at least two separate costumes, which explains why Ms. Mann required an eight-member team to help construct the wardrobes.  The lighting designer, Jared Moore, has added some nice touches, especially when creating the night scenes.

 

This is a very daring show for Circle Theatre, with a huge cast and intricate sets and costumes.  Circle Theatre has successfully embraced the challenge.  In the end, Meet Me In St. Louis is a definite crowd-pleaser; a perfect way to chase away the holiday blues. 

 

Rating: Recommended (3 stars)