Meet Me In St. Louis - high school material?

[TheaterChef]

Posted: 2/19/05 at 11:53pm

Question question: is there anything about Meet Me In St. Louis that would make it impossible to put on a high school production of it?

Shoot...and it looks like I posted this twice. Herm. I guess that's what happens when I get trigger-happy. Sorry guys and gals.

Updated On: 2/19/05 at 11:53 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:05am

Well, the original version had an ice skating scene but that won’t be in the script that is licensed from Tams-Witmark as they only offer the tour version. just be aware that if you decide to get the original Broadway cast recording (and you should) the song list will be as follows:

act one
Overture
Meet Me in St. Louis
Boy Next Door
Be Anything But a Girl
Skip to My Lou
Under the Bamboo Tree
Banjos
Ghosties and Ghoulies and Things That Go Bump in the Night
Halloween Ballet
Wasn't It Fun?
Trolley Song

act two
Entr'acte
Ice
Raving Beauty
Touch of the Irish
You Are for Loving
A Day in New York
Irish Jig (The Ball)
Diamonds in the Starlight
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Paging Mister Sousa
Finale:
The Trolley Song (reprise)
Meet Me in St. Louis (reprise)

where as the production that your school/theatre is putting on can only use the revised (tour) script so the song list will be very different:

act one
The Overture
Meet Me In St. Louis
The Smith Family Octet
The Boy Next Door
You'll Hear a Bell
A Raving Beauty
Skip to My Lou
Under the Bamboo Tree
Over the Bannister
The Boy Next Door (reprise)
The Trolley Song

act two
Entr'acte
A Touch of the Irish
The Girl Next Door (reprise)
A Day in New York
You'll Hear a Bell (reprise)
Wasn't It Fun
You Are for Loving
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Finale:
The Trolley Song (reprise)
Meet Me in St. Louis (reprise)


the CD is on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000000PIH/qid=1108149536/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-1378510-4163961?v=glance&s=music

personally, I would ask to do the original Broadway version and if they say no, then pick a different show. The tour version tries to be exactly like the movie where as the original version has more new material to work with and is more fun for the audience as well as the actors.

as far as it being done at a high school had you been able to use the original script the material is strong enough on it's own to be done with nothing but tables and chairs, but the tour version just butchers that vision... Updated On: 2/20/05 at 12:05 AM

[TheaterChef]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:08am

Eep. I was afraid of that. But thank you - you told me what I needed to know.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:16am

Actually, I think it's the other way around, the tour/MUNY version is much closer to the movie. I personally like that version much better than the Broadway version, and it is also much easier to produce. The Broadway version calls for many sets inside the house as well as sevral more outside. The MUNY available version only has outside the house, the living room of the house and then the ballroom for the second act. I don't know if it's a great show for high school because the chorus has a lot of time offstage (especially in act one, when I was in it we had almost 30 minutes between the opening and the next scene we were in). But, if you have a really awesome girl to play Esther, and can afford all the period costumes and sets, I'd say go for it. If you haven't already seen it, Tams-Witmark has a synopsis on their website which includes where all the songs fit in.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:22am

my biggest vice with the MUNY script is that if I want to watch the movie I'll watch the movie. I like the original better because it has a lot more new material to work with. I realize one of the authors hated the Broadway script, but I do believe he's gone now and I, personally, love the original so much that it's a shame one cannot get the rights. if for no other reason then to have "Ghosties and Ghoulies and Things That Go Bump in the Night", "Halloween Ballet", "Ice" and "Diamonds in the Starlight" in the production. Updated On: 2/20/05 at 12:22 AM

[TheaterChef]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:22am

Yee Gods, 30 minutes? I'll start looking elsewhere. Thank you both though.

[theatreguy]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:37am

Okay, I getcha, CATS. I wasn't sure if you thought having the show be like the movie was a good thign or a bad thing. And Raving Beauty is in the MUNY version, only it's in Act One and is sung by just Rose and Marshall, with some different lyrics. I'm not a big fan of Ice, but I do like the whole Halloween sequence as well. Too bad it was cut, though I can understand why they did.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 12:40am

yeah, I ment "Diamonds in the Starlight". how can you cut "Diamonds in the Starlight"???

[theatreguy]

Posted: 2/20/05 at 1:45am

Agreed. Though I'm not really sure where they would fit it in. Perhaps in the scene where he asks her to the dance? I guess they tried to make up for it by giving him Over the Banister in the first act.