The Muny Announces Total Attendance for Triumphant 103rd Season
Season Included Two Muny Premieres
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 16, 2021) — The Muny announced today attendance totals for its triumphant 103rd season. After a 714-day intermission, The Muny opened its gates on July 26, 2021, for a five-show season that included Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Sound of Music, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, On Your Feet! and Chicago. The highly anticipated lineup for the 2022 season will be announced later this fall and will include Sweeney Todd and Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins.
“After an extended intermission, Season 103 offered an incredible homecoming for many,” said Muny President and CEO Denny Reagan. “We are so proud to have gotten the chance to present five productions for our audience, and to have had the opportunity to put our dedicated teams back to work. We cannot thank St. Louis enough for coming out and showing their support — we are forever grateful.”
"This past season will live in our hearts forever," said Muny Executive Producer and Artistic Director Mike Isaacson. "You could scoop the audiences' joy at being back at The Muny. It was so powerful. And everyone backstage gave everything they have as people and professionals to create our five extraordinary productions. I am enormously grateful."
"Our 2021 season will, hopefully, be remembered as the summer this community came together and showed what the heart and willpower of a city can do," said Muny Managing Director Kwofe Coleman. "Watching thousands of patrons light up as they passed through our gates each night is the reason we exist. While challenging, Season 103 will forever stand out in our history as poignant and unforgettably necessary."
Total attendance for the five-show summer season: 192,806. This number does not include the Aug. 12 rainout of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, or the Aug. 31 rainout and final three cancelled performances of Chicago. Through The Muny’s free seat and Community Access programs, over 50,000 guests experienced a Muny production at no cost.
103rd season attendance by show:
SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE: 37,290
The Songs of Leiber and Stoller
July 26 – August 1
Words and Music by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Sponsored by Ameren
Muny Premiere
Ben E. King, The Coasters, Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee and The Drifters – what do they have in common? Besides being some of the most popular artists of the 50s and 60s, their hits, and over 35 others, were the bread and butter of Smokey Joe’s Cafe. Set in St. Louis’ historic Gaslight Square, Broadway’s longest-running musical revue included Grammy Award-winning favorites such as “Yakety Yak,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “On Broadway” and “Love Potion No. 9.” With this generation-defining Muny premiere, audiences were dancing in the aisles.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC: 55,409
August 3 – 9
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp
Sponsored by Edward Jones
Considered by many to be the world’s most beloved musical, The Sound of Music reminds us that with high-spirited hope, heartfelt compassion and unwavering determination, life’s mountains can always be climbed. With its Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning score, including “Do-Re-Mi,” “My Favorite Things,” “Edelweiss” and the iconic title track “The Sound of Music,” the hills of Forest Park came alive once more!
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS: 39,974
August 12 – 18
Book by Lawrence Kasha and David Landay
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Music by Gene de Paul
New Songs by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn
Based on the MGM Film and
“The Sobbin’ Women” by Stephen Vincent Benet
Dance Music Arrangements by Sam Davis
Sponsored by U.S. Bank
Based on the Academy Award-winning 1954 film, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is Americana at its finest. With an age-old tale of wooing and winning, the battle of the sexes and some barn-raising dancing, this western rollick featured whistle-worthy favorites, including “Bless Your Beautiful Hide” and “Goin’ Courtin’.” With two of the most eminent dance scenes in musical theatre history and seven times the fun, audiences saddled up for an unforgettable joyride through the Oregon frontier.
Note: The attendance total does not include the Aug. 12 rainout performance of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
ON YOUR FEET!: 38,335
The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan
August 21 – 27
Featuring Music Produced and Recorded by Emilio & Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
Book by Alexander Dinelaris
Sponsored by BMO Harris Bank
Muny Premiere
Based on the inspiring true story of the queen of Latin pop, Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio, On Your Feet! is a universal sensation that shows what can happen when two people believe in their talent, music and one another. Their moving rags-to-riches story featured some of the most chart-topping songs of the past quarter-century, including “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” “1-2-3,” “Coming Out of the Dark” and the title hit, “Get On Your Feet.” With this Muny premiere, audiences left ready to “Conga!”
CHICAGO: 21,798
August 30 – September 5
Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Based on the play by Maurine Dallas Watkins
Script Adaptation by David Thompson
Sponsored by Missouri Lottery
Start the car and head to a “whoopee spot” where crime and corruption are hot! Kander and Ebb’s internationally-acclaimed musical about fame, fortune and justice features a headline-worthy story of how two icon-victs become Jazz Age celebrities. Set during the Prohibition era, this six-time Tony Award-winner, the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, included showstopping standards such as “Cell Block Tango,” “Mister Cellophane” and the notorious “All That Jazz.”
Note: The attendance total does not include the Aug. 31 rainout or final three cancelled performances of Chicago.
Emerson is proud to be The Muny’s 2021 Season Sponsor.
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Categories: Press
