The Muny Announces Principal Cast for Return of ‘Meet Me In St. Louis’
Hometown favorite based on the beloved film and centered on the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair returns for the first time since 2018.
ST. LOUIS — Patti Murin, Colin Donnell, Katerina McCrimmon, Stan Brown, Andrew Poston, Kyla Stone, Ilan Eskenazi, Lilah Levinson, Joylin Bass and Lissa deGuzman will star alongside previously announced Beth Leavel in Meet Me In St. Louis when the all-time Muny favorite returns this summer to Forest Park.
Meet Me In St. Louis — the enchanting portrait of turn-of-the-century America, set right here in St. Louis — runs Aug. 6-13 and is presented by Commerce Bank and Commerce Trust Co.
The creative team is led by Maggie Burrows (director), Sarah Meahl (choreographer) and Paul Byssainthe Jr. (music director/conductor).
“We’re thrilled to welcome the return of perhaps the most beloved show in our repertory,” said Muny Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “Since producing its world stage premiere in 1960, Meet Me In St. Louis has never failed to inspire heartfelt joy and sweet civic pride at The Muny — right here in St. Louis.”
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Cast Bios
PATTI MURIN (Mrs. Anna Smith) returns to the Muny stage for the seventh time. She is widely recognized for her acclaimed performance as Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen on Broadway, which she reprised here last summer. Patti’s stage credits also include starring roles in Lysistrata Jones, Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors and Holiday Inn. On television, she has appeared in series such as Chicago Med, Royal Pains and a plethora of Hallmark movies. She is an accomplished audiobook narrator, having had the honor of reading for esteemed authors such as Jodi Picoult, Christina Lauren, Katherine Center and many others.
COLIN DONNELL (Mr. Alonzo Smith) returns home to St. Louis and the Muny stage, where he last appeared in 2015 alongside his wife, Patti Murin, in Holiday Inn. He just ended his run on Broadway in Lincoln Center’s hit production of Ragtime. Colin recently starred opposite Robert De Niro in Netflix’s Zero Day and starred in Peacock’s Irreverent. He’s known for such roles as Scott Lockhart on Showtime’s The Affair, Dr. Connor Rhodes on Chicago Med and Tommy Merlyn on Arrow. His film credits include Every Secret Thing and Almost Love. Onstage, Donnell recently appeared on Broadway in The Shark Is Broken and starred as Russell Hammond in Almost Famous at The Old Globe. His Broadway work includes Violet, Anything Goes and Jersey Boys. Other stage work includes Follies, Merrily We Roll Along, Lady Be Good (New York City Center Encores!) and Love’s Labour’s Lost (Shakespeare in the Park).
KATERINA McCRIMMON (Esther Smith) returns to The Muny after making her debut last summer as Eva in Evita. A Miami-born performer, she first gained national attention for her breakout turn as Fanny Brice in the Broadway tour of Funny Girl, with Entertainment Weekly naming her “the next greatest star” with a “once-in-a-generation voice.” Her theatre credits include The Rose Tattoo (Broadway), Bigfoot! (Manhattan Theatre Club), The Counterfeit Opera (Little Island), The Light in the Piazza (New York City Center Encores!), Ride the Cyclone (McCarter Theatre Center) and Ah, Wilderness! (Hartford Stage). She has performed her solo show, Katerina McCrimmon: Naked, to sold-out audiences across the country, including at Joe’s Pub and Lincoln Center. Katerina is a graduate of Florida State University, a Presidential Scholar in the Arts and a proud YoungArts winner. Her debut jazz album, Kat’s Out of the Bag!, is out on all streaming platforms.
BETH LEAVEL (Katie Connelly) most recently was seen on Broadway in Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends. She was nominated for 2019 Tony, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Circle awards for her performance in the critically acclaimed Broadway show The Prom. She received Tony, Drama Desk, NY Outer Critics Circle and LA Drama Critics Awards for her performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. Beth also received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for her role as Florence Greenberg in Baby It’s You. Other Broadway roles include The Baroness in Lempicka, Mrs. June Adams in Bandstand, Emily in Elf, Donna in Mamma Mia!, Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein, Dorothy Brock in the revival of 42nd Street, Tess in the original company of Crazy For You, Mrs. Bixby in The Civil War, Ellie in Hal Prince’s Show Boat and Anytime Annie (her Broadway debut) in 42nd Street. Previous Muny productions include Gypsy; Oklahoma!; Hello, Dolly!; Nunsense: Muny Style!; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Annie; Mame; 42nd Street; and Grease. She has numerous off-Broadway, regional theatre, commercial and TV credits, including the final episode of ER and The Walking Dead.
STAN BROWN (Grandpa Prophater) makes his Muny debut following his Broadway debut in the Tony-nominated Water for Elephants. Film credits include the title role in The Bespoke Tailoring of Mr. Bellamy, which earned him the 2024 Louisiana Film Prize best actor award. The Old Man at the Bar, a Top 5 finalist at the 2025 Louisiana Film Prize, made its East Coast premiere at the 2026 Dances With Films festival in New York. Television credits include Homicide: Life in the Streets, I’ll Fly Away and In the Heat of the Night. He has also vocal coached productions at the Goodman, Steppenwolf and Broadway’s Good Night, Oscar. His off-Broadway credits include Robby Benson’s Open Heart. He is the inaugural Wirtz Professor of Acting at Northwestern University.
ANDREW POSTON (John Truitt) returns to St. Louis after making his Muny debut last season as Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys. He recently finished his run as Jimmy in the new musical adaptation of Bull Durham at Paper Mill Playhouse. Originally from South Carolina, Andrew is an actor, singer and worship leader with a degree in commercial music from Anderson University. Broadway: Almost Famous. National tour: Kinky Boots. Select regional: Newsies, Godspell, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. He has original music available on all streaming platforms.
KYLA STONE (Rose Smith) returns to The Muny. Broadway: Barry Manilow’s Harmony (swing, u/s Josephine Baker, Ruth) and The Great Gatsby (Mrs. McKee, u/s Daisy Buchanan). She made history as the first African American Anya in Anastasia (national tour) and as the country’s first Black Elle Woods in Legally Blonde right here at The Muny. Regional favorites include Guinevere in Camelot (Pittsburg Civic Light Opera); Inga in Young Frankenstein (BTG, Bay Street, Geva Theatre); Gertrude, u/s Jane/Elinor in the world premiere of Regency Girls (The Old Globe); Cinderella in Into the Woods (PCLO); Marian in The Music Man (with the Gainesville Orchestra); Mrs. Shelley in The Secret Garden (Ahmanson); and Johanna in Sweeney Todd (Hangar Theatre). Short film: A Life Within, The Biggest Little.
ILAN ESKENAZI (Lon Smith) makes his Muny debut. Born and raised in New York City, he attended the acting program at LaGuardia High School before getting his BFA from Pace University and beginning his professional career. Select theatre credits: Sing Street (New York Theater Workshop/Broadway), Trayf (Geffen Playhouse). Ilan appeared as Jonah in the Amazon series The Horror of Dolores Roach and can also be seen in the upcoming second season of Showtime’s Dexter: Resurrection.
LILAH LEVINSON (Tootie Smith) makes her debut on the Muny stage. She is 9 years old and in fourth grade, and this season also marks her first year in the Muny Kids troupe. Lilah was most recently seen in her elementary school production of Annie as Annie. She is a competitive dancer at Krupinski Academy of Dance and studies voice with her dad.
JOYLIN BASS (Agnes Smith) is making her Muny debut. She has previously performed in Shrek The Musical Jr., Seussical and The Wizard of Oz at Gateway Center for Performing Arts and A Friend to Love at Half Act Theater. Joylin is the voice of Uniqua in Nickelodeon’s The Backyardigans: Spot the Difference webisodes and has appeared in national commercials. A member of the Muny Kids troupe, she trains in musical theatre, dance and voice in St. Louis.
LISSA deGUZMAN (Lucille Ballard) returns to The Muny, where she previously appeared as Dawn in Waitress. Broadway: Wicked, King Kong, Aladdin. National tour: Wicked (Elphaba), Aladdin (Jasmine). Regional: The Muny (Fiddler on the Roof), Goodspeed Opera House (Chasing Rainbows), Cape Playhouse (Camelot), KC Starlight (Legally Blonde), Drury Lane (Cinderella), The 5th Avenue Theatre (Bliss), Studio Tenn (West Side Story, Les Misérables). International: Theatre Group Asia (A Chorus Line). Other highlights include Strike Up the Band (Carnegie Hall), Disney Princess: The Concert (Boston Pops) and Broadway’s Best (Bay Philharmonic).
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Additional casting will be announced. The Telsey Office is the official casting partner of The Muny.
The design team for Meet Me In St. Louis includes Michael Santomassimo (associate choreographer); Ann Beyersdorfer (scenic designer); Leon Dobkowski (costume designer); Paige Seber (lighting designer); Joshua Hummel (sound designer); Kylee Loera and Greg Emetaz (video designers); Kelley Jordan (wig designer); Willie Porter (production stage manager); and The Telsey Office/Rachel Hoffman, CSA (casting).
The Muny artistic staff includes Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson, Associate Artistic Director Michael Baxter, Director of Production Tracy Utzmyers, and Music Supervisors Michael Horsley and Evan Roider.
The hometown favorite Meet Me In St. Louis returns for its ninth Muny production — the first since 2018. As the Smith family prepares for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, a sudden cross-country move threatens to upend everything — including romance for the two eldest daughters.
Meet Me In St. Louis has music and lyrics by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, plus additional material by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II; George W. Meyer, Edgar Leslie and E. Ray Goetz; and Kerry Mills and Andrew B. Sterling. The musicalhas an original book by Hugh Wheeler with a revised book by Gordon Greenberg, based on The Kensington Stories by Sally Benson and the MGM motion picture Meet Me In St. Louis.
The 1944 film starring Judy Garland is one of AFI’s Greatest Movie Musicals. Beloved songs include “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Boy Next Door,” “The Trolley Song” and “Whenever I’m With You.”
Meet Me In St. Louis is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
Performances of Meet Me In St. Louis begin at 8:15 p.m. nightly, Aug. 6-13. Season 108 at The Muny also includes Hairspray (June 15-21), Shrek The Musical (June 25-July 2), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific (July 6-12), Disney’s Newsies (July 16-22), Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations (July 27-Aug. 2) and Something Rotten! (Aug. 17-23).
New season tickets start at just $126 and are on sale now at muny.org, by phone at (314) 595-5750 or at the Muny Box Office in Forest Park (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday). Single-performance Muny tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. May 18.
A 20% group discount is available for parties of 15 or more. To start the free reservation process, visit muny.org/groups or call (314) 595-5708.
Visit muny.org/meetme to read content notes and more about Meet Me In St. Louis.
Photos, logos and other promotional assets are available in the Muny Press Room.
About The Muny
Now in its 108th season in St. Louis, The Muny — the recipient of the 2025 Regional Theatre Tony Award — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to producing exceptional musical theatre that is accessible to all, continuing its remarkable tradition in Forest Park. As the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre, The Muny welcomes more than 300,000 patrons each summer for seven world-class productions, each built from the ground up in St. Louis. Learn more at muny.org, and follow along at facebook.com/munytheatre, instagram.com/themuny and youtube.com/themunytv.
Categories: 2026 Season, Announcements, Muny News, Press