There seems to have been a theme to our New York trip of seeing musical versions of our favorite movies. In the case of Young Frankenstein, our affinity for the original film tainted our enjoyment of it’s musical cousin.

In the case of Meet Me in St. Louis, playing at Papermill Playhouse through December 16, the stage version of this holiday classic merely increased our love for the story, the warmth of its characters, and the score that we know so well.

We began the evening on the exterior of Rob Bissinger’s turn-of-the-century home and after the first scene, the house glided open to reveal the beautiful, finely detailed interior of this St. Louis family’s domicile. At the end of the first act, the entire house slid upstage to allow the full-sized trolley car room to make it’s way across the stage as the cast performed the famous “Trolley Song.”

All of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane’s beloved film songs are included in the stage version–”The Boy Next Door,” “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”–as well as some delightful additions by the duo, including “You’ll Hear A Bell,” a sweet song Mrs. Smith (Donna English) sings about how she felt when she first met her husband-to-be (Gregg Edelman) and “A Touch of the Irish,” the rousing act two opener led by Patti Mariano as Katie.

The cast ranges in credits from recent Carnegie Mellon graduate Patrick Cummins, playing Warren Shefield, to four-time Tony nominee, Gregg Edelman as patriarch Alonso Smith. The rest of the Smith family is played by JB Adams (Grandpa), Roni Caggiano (Agnes), Christian Delcroix (Lon), Brynn O’Malley (Esther), Julia Osborne (Rose) and Sophie Rudin (Tootie).

One of the things I love about the film, which came across even more clearly with live actors, is the sense of nostalgia that comes from watching the comings and goings of a family who cares very deeply for each other, in a time period when things were much simpler. Of course in any time period (and in any good theatre piece) there must be conflict, but here some of the most controversial moments include whether to change dinner time from 6:30 to 5:30, and trying to replace a tuxedo that wasn’t picked up before the tailor closed.

There is a true sense of a cohesive, loving family conveyed in the show as Grandpa offers to be a surrogate date to the Christmas social, as Rose comforts a tearful Tootie with the lullaby-like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and as Mr. and Mrs. Smith reminisce amidst a growing family crisis in the tender “Wasn’t It Fun?”

Brynn O’Malley as Esther, the role Judy Garland immortalized in the film, captures the same boy-crazy spunk that Garland did, but makes the role her own. Unlike my experience at Young Frankenstein, I quit comparing the stage actors to the film actors about ten minutes into the show. During some of the dialogue at the end of act one, I did notice that Ms. O’Malley’s voice seemed a little tired. It was nothing too alarming from an audience perspective, but before the curtain rose on act two, it was announced that her understudy, Erin Henry would be going on to complete the show.

I suppose it’s a testament to Ms. Henry’s work as an understudy, but had the announcement not been made, I don’t know that I would have noticed the switch until Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, when the clarity of her singing voice compared to the apparently ailing Ms. O’Malley’s became clear. Ms. Henry’s Rose had an ever so subtly more juvenal quality about her, but in a long brunette wig and a blue gingham dress, from the third row of the mezzanine, the switch might have passed me by.

With few exceptions, the cast inhabits their roles naturally and in proportion to the scale of the space and the musical medium. The balance of the rest of the cast made Ed Romanoff’s dorky Clinton Badger stick out as caricaturish, and though the young Sophie Rudin as Tootie sang much more on pitch than the film’s Margaret O’Brien, her acting was just over the top enough to be grating for most of the evening.

Founded in 1934 in Millburn, NJ, Papermill Playhouse, was one of the first to begin the regional theatre movement in the United States. It has grown to be one of the most acclaimed non-profit professional theatres in the country and, according to its web site, attracts more than 425,000 people annually.

Last April, Papermill faced a financial crisis that nearly closed their doors. My friends Tina and Andy were in the production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers that was playing during that time, and Tina told us tales of not knowing from show to show what the fate of the theatre might be. Thanks to donations from patrons, solicitations from Broadway heavy hitters, and a nearly three million dollar loan, the company is back on its feet, at least for the rest of this season and their production of Seven Brides will be performed in several other regional theatres and tour in 2009.

So, if the idea of another performance of A Christmas Carol or The Nutcracker doesn’t peak your holiday theatregoing interest this year, I would definitely recommend supporting Papermill by attending Meet Me In St. Louis. It’s a beautiful holiday story with a classic Hollywood pedigree, Broadway skilled performers, and music that is both comforting in its nostalgia, poignant in its tenderness and exciting in the freshness of its interpretation.

Tickets for Meet Me In St. Louis at the Papermill Playhouse

1 Comment to “Meet Me at the Papermill Playhouse”

1. jim dougher — January 19, 2008 @ 7:35 pm
   

   I am trying to find information on the Helen Keller play now going on for alimited time. Thank you

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