Jerome Robbins’ Broadway

Capsulizes 8 Shows Into One

by Pat Lindsey

The Muny launched its centennial season this week with the daunting production of Jerome Robbins’ Broadway. It’s a big show with a big cast and if Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson’s exuberance is any clue, it’s going to be a big season. Isaacson ran onto the stage to welcome his opening night guests and could barely contain himself as he reminded the audience of what a legacy The Muny has been to St. Louis and the theater world during the past 100 years. His dream is to continue that legacy for the next 100 years.

I’ll have to admit that I’ve been looking forward to this season for a very long time, as well. My excitement, however, was a bit diminished when the thermometer hit 92 degrees and scattered thunderstorms were predicted. Mother Nature, however, cooperated, and the giant fans at The Muny performed as champs, creating a nice breeze and comfortable environment for an amazing show.

The Muny is the first theater in the world to produce Jerome Robbins’ Broadway since its multi-Tony Award-winning Broadway run in 1989. It begins and ends with the entire cast on stage in their costumes from nine Robbins’ shows–On the Town, Billion Dollar Baby, High Button Shoes, West Side Story, The King and I, Peter Pan, Miss Liberty, Call Me Madam, and Fiddler on the Roof–that were produced between 1944 and 1964. There are scenes from each of these shows, with the emphasis on superb choreography, such as the dance in the school gym from West Side Story and the Keystone cops comedy antics in High Button Shoes.

     Muny veteran Rob McClure and Muny newcomer  Sarah Bowden, take on multiple roles, but McClure’s main role is that of The Setter or narrator. He sets the stage for the flow of the show and concludes it by telling the audience that we are all “like a fiddler trying to scratch out a tune without losing our balance.” Act I opens with a scene from On the Town and that scene is repeated at the end of the show as the chorus reprises the song, “New York, New York.” Standout performances include Jennifer Ferry’s solo of “Somewhere,” the “Suite of Dances” from West Side Story, the “Mr. Monotony” solo by Jenny Powers, and, of course, Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, played by Rob McClure.

The Muny staff is skilled at artistically combining creative techniques–fantastic sets, lighting, sound, video backdrops, aerial ballet, drama, comedy, and song and dance numbers that fill the large stage–to mesmerize its audiences. Jerome Robbins’ Broadway has all those qualities and more. Peter Pan (Sarah Marie Jenkins) singing, “I’m Flying” and suddenly soaring high above The Muny stage with Wendy (Elizabeth Teeter), Michael (Gabriel Cytron), and John (Cole Joyce) is sheer delight. And the portrayal of “The Small House of Uncle Thomas” from The King and I is musical theater at its best. The combination of scenes from the nine shows result in a memorable evening of American musicals

set in the most perfect place–The Muny in Forest Park. It’s like getting nine shows for the price of one! Jerome Robbins would be proud.

The Muny’s 100th season will be a tribute to American theater. Each show has been carefully selected based on the preferences of The Muny’s audiences for the past 100 years. Jerome Robbins’ Broadway is an excellent choice as the first of seven shows to reflect our American heritage. The Muny only gets better and better and the legacy will continue indeed.

For more information, go to muny.org or call 314-534-1111 for tickets.

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