“Our goal with every season is to make sure we put together a lineup that excites and engages our audience,” said Kwofe Coleman, MUNY president and CEO, at the company’s 2023 season kickoff announcement.
“Our goal with every season is to make sure we put together a lineup that excites and engages our audience,” said Kwofe Coleman, MUNY President and CEO at the company’s season kickoff announcement. “That we’ve set up a summer that will be a fulfilling journey for everyone.
His goal is to “set up a summer that will be a fulfilling journey for everyone.”
The MUNY’s 105th season returns June 12, 2023 and runs through August 20. The shows include a tribute to a musical icon, classic childhood tales, complicated love tales, and other stage favorites.
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” makes its MUNY premiere June 12-18. It is the story of King’s legendary career and her work penning some of entertainment’s biggest hits from “You’ve Got A Friend” to “I Feel the Earth Move.”
“Her contributions to our lives, our memories, and our stories are remarkable,” said Mike Isaacson, Muny artistic director and executive producer.
“The show covers her life from 1958-1971, exploring her talent, growth, marriage and partnership, and her beloved songwriting success.”
Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” runs June 22-30, 2023. The magical show is a reminder that beauty is more than skin deep. The story is brought to life through the characters Belle, the Beast, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and Lumiere.
“The last time we did the show in 2015, 40% of the audience wasn’t born yet,” Isaacson said. “It’s a family show and a beautiful MUNY tradition we invite all generations to see, especially the newer generation.”
With St. Louis being a hub for the game of chess, The MUNY has partnered with the World Chess Hall of Fame and Saint Louis Chess Club to premiere “Chess” July 5-11. The drama focuses on a 1980s world chess championship between an American and Russian during the Cold War.
The players also fight over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other.
“We’ve been working on this for four years, and thought it would be great to bring the production to the MUNY because of St. Louis’ connection to Chess,” Isaacson said.
“West Side Story,” makes its classic return to The MUNY after a decade July 15-21.
Loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” the story of romance between Tony and Maria has been entertaining audiences since its Broadway debut in September 1957.
While smitten with each other, the couple struggles with the world around them. The notable gang violence between the Sharks and Jets is intertwined within the saga.
“People who’ve experienced this show have learned early on that our audience remembers who they saw the show with and experienced it with,” Isaacson said.
“Little Shop of Horrors,” is a well known comedy centered on floor assistant Seymour and his mission to persuade Audrey to fall in love with him. The journey isn’t easy as he is threatened by a man-eating plant, who he befriends and helps feed. The show runs July 25-31.
“We plan to have the biggest, most amazing plant on stage, its comedy with a bite,” Isaacson said.
“Rent,” discusses the difficult challenges and obstacles several creatives face during the AIDS epidemic. It shows perseverance, love and acceptance. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical features legendary turns “Seasons of Love,” “La Vie Bohème,” and more. It runs Aug. 4-10.
“It’s a life changing musical that forces unparalleled beauty on a group of artists facing life, community, and friendship during a plague,” Isaacson said.
“Sister Act” closes out the season Aug. 14-20, 2023. Based on the 1992 film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act follows Disco entertainer Deloris, who dreams of fame and fortune, but takes an unexpected route to get there.
“It’s a heavenly way to end the season,” Issacson said. “It’s a really funny show. You will see a lot of nuns, it’s joyous highlighting true joy that will come alive on stage.”
“One of the greatest gifts we have is the opportunity to ask our audience what productions they want to see each year and from my earliest days as an usher and still now I am always excited by our audience’s energy around the season survey,” Coleman said.
“That excitement is doubled and the relationship with the audience only deepened in a year like this where we will be presenting so many of the most requested productions from the survey. Season 105 will be a thrilling journey that we cannot wait to go on with our audience.”
For tickets and more information visit https://muny.org/.
