Seven historical shows. Over 900 productions. 100 seasons.

Back in August, Muny-goers voted for the shows they wanted to see in the hundredth season, and the staff at the muny tallied up the votes. Though we aren’t meeting at the Muny until June of 2018, that didn’t stop the staff at the Muny from announcing their one-hundredth season line-up on Thursday, Oct. 12. As the avid Muny-goer I am, I’ve decided to rank the shows that, I feel, are going to be the best show of the season and the shows that will still be good, but maybe not the best.

        1. Singin’ in the Rain

2018 will mark the sixth time Singin’ in the Rain has been at the Muny. I saw Singin’ in the Rain when it was last at the Muny in 2011; I was not disappointed then and I don’t expect to be disappointed when the curtain rises next summer. The movie musical was originally released in 1952, starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds.  Singin in the Rain takes the number one spot, for me, because it’s a classic. Between the cast and the classic songs, “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Make ‘Em Laugh,” it seems unbeatable.

Check out the music from Singin’ in the Rain here

2.  Jersey Boys

2018 will mark the first time Jersey Boys will be at the Muny. I haven’t seen Jersey Boys, but I have high hopes based on what I’ve heard from friends and family, and from the multiple times I’ve heard the soundtrack. In the 12 years since it has been released, Jersey Boys has turned into a modern classic. Jersey Boys follows the course of The Four Seasons career, a rock n’ roll group from the 1960’s. The musical is documentary style with each act being a different season, and each season is explained from the point of view of each band member.

Check out the music from Jersey Boys here

3. Meet Me in St. Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis will make its eighth appearance at the Muny in 2018, the last being in 2009. Meet Me in St. Louis is in my top three, because of the title- MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. It would have been a travesty if this wasn’t included in the hundredth season line-up, because it would have been a missed opportunity and several Muny-goers, including my own mother, would have been very angry with the fact other Muny-goers didn’t vote for it. The 1944 movie musical follows Esther Smith, played by Judy Garland, and the rest of her family in the year leading up to the 1904 World’s Fair. The film was later adapted into a Broadway production in 1989.

Check out the music from Meet Me in St. Louis here

4. The Wiz

The Wiz will be making its second appearance at the Muny in 2018. The movie musical was released in 1978 and was a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz, but with african american actors instead of caucasian ones. The movie starred prominent african americans at the time: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Nipsey Russell. The settings are significantly different, because The Wizard of Oz takes place in a rural area and The Wiz takes place in Harlem. The movie, from what I can gather, is very different from its counterpart in which there’s more music and the music is much more soulful, than it is in The Wizard of Oz.

Check out the music from The Wiz here

5. Gypsy

Gypsy will be at the Muny for the sixth time since 1963, the last performance being in 2006. The 1959 Gypsy is based off the 1950’s memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a striptease artist, and follows her mother, Rose, who later became synonymous with the title “the ultimate show business mother.” The musical was later turned into a film in 1962 and again in 1993. Jerome Robbins choreographed and directed the production, Jerome Robbins will have his own production at the Muny (you can look at number six for more information.)

Check out the music from Gypsy here

6. Jerome Robbins’ Broadway

Jerome Robbins’ Broadway is an anthology of Jerome Robbins career as a Broadway director and choreographer and it contains musical numbers from the musicals Robbins directed and choreographed. The musicals contains musical numbers from other productions like: The King and I, On the Town, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, West Side Story, Gypsy and Fiddler on the Roof. I’ve personally never seen this, it’s never been at the Muny, and I never knew it existed, so that’s why I’m wary about the production.

Check out the music from Jerome Robbins’ Broadway here

7. Annie

Annie will be making its eighth appearance at the Muny in 2018. Annie is a classic, but it’s overdone. Annie is the tale as old as tired time. The broadway production was adapted from a Harold Gray comic called Little Orphan Annie and it premiered in 1977. It was then adapted into a movie in 1982 and a sequel in 1995. The 1982 film starred celebrities like: Carol Burnett, Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters. The film also has classic songs like: “Tomorrow,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life” and “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.”

Check out the music from Annie here