Meet Me in St. Louis is a 1989 musical based on the 1944 film of the same title, about a family living in St. Louis, Missouri on the eve of the 1904 World's Fair.
The musical varied from the film with additional songs and some additional character development; the focus is not primarily on the character of Esther, as in the film. The musical ran on Broadway in 1989.
Productions
The musical opened on Broadway at the George Gershwin Theatre on November 2, 1989 and closed on June 10, 1990, after 252 performances. It was directed by Louis Burke with choreography by Joan Brickhill.
The show was performed Off-Broadway by the Irish Repertory Theater in December 2006 through February 2007, with direction by Charlotte Moore (the mother in the Broadway production), choreography by Barry McNabb and sets by Tony Straiges. The cast featured George S. Irving as Grandpa Prophater.
The musical has been produced by Musicals Tonight! (New York), in October 2004 the Paper Mill Playhouse Millburn, New Jersey in November to December 2007, with Brynn O'Malley as Esther, Gregg Edelman as Alonso Smith, and Donna English as Anna Smith, and The Muny, St. Louis in July 2009, with Lewis J. Stadlen as Grandpa Prophater, Brynn O'Malley as Esther Smith, Max von Essen as John Truitt and Stephen Bogardus as Mr. Alonzo Smith.
The musical has also had its UK professional premiere at the Landor Theatre, in Clapham, London. The show ran from 11 December 2013 to 18 January 2014.
Plot
The musical opens in the summer of 1903. The family is going about their daily businesses – Tootie is playing with her dolls, Agnes is practicing her stilt walking, Esther is playing tennis, Rose is relaxing, Lon received his Princeton catalog in the mail, Mrs. Smith and Katie, their maid, went shopping, Grandpa is playing with Agnes, and Mr. Smith was at work ("Opening" / "Meet Me in St. Louis"). Upon request from Esther, Katie asks Mrs. Smith if they could have dinner an hour earlier because her sister is having trouble with her husband. We soon learn that the real reason is that Warren Sheffield, a Yale scholar and heir to a grand fortune, is calling Rose long-distance at 6:30, when they usually eat dinner. Esther was trying to get dinner to be an hour earlier so the family would be out of the room when he called. Soon Rose enters and tells Esther that John Truitt, their neighbor and the boy that Esther has a crush on, is outside with his friend. They pretend to want to go to the pool, and try to attract the boys' attention. However, Agnes enters looking for her cat, and John leaves, causing Esther to lament about how John Truitt never notices her ("The Boy Next Door").
A little later that day, Mr. Smith comes home in a bad mood, because he lost his case. He refuses to eat an hour earlier and storms offstage to go take his cool bath. Meanwhile, Tootie and Agnes begin to fight over a doll, causing the older siblings to have to break them up and remind them that they're all friends (Whenever I'm With You). Everyone exits except for Ester and Mrs. Smith. Esther asks if she is too young to fall in love, and her mother is shocked by the question. She proceeds to tell of how she fell in love with Mr. Smith ("You'll Hear a Bell").
Dinner is approaching, and by now everyone in the family knows about Warren's telephone call except for Mr. Smith. When he joins the family at the dinner table, everyone gulps down their food so they can leave before Warren calls. Unfortunately, they are not fast enough, and the telephone rings. Mr. Smith answers, but is confused when the operators tell him that someone is calling from New York. He hangs up, and Esther accidentally tells him everything out of anger. He soon figures out that he was the only one who didn't know about the call, and tries to put his foot down, but when the phone rings again he tells Rose to answer it. Her phone call turns out to be less than successful, because he was only calling to ask how she was, and he said if his parents knew he was calling, they would kill him. Katie tries to lighten the mood ("Meet Me in St. Louis" (Reprise)).