MUNY PRODUCTION HAS TWO GENERATION TIE TO CITY OF CAPE

The St. Louis Muny Theater's production of "Wizard of Oz," which opened Monday, has a Cape Girardeau tie two generations old.

Emily Loesser is playing the lead role, Dorothy, the same role her mother, Jo Sullivan Loesser, played at the Muny in 1951.

Emily Loesser's grandparents, Hessie and Eileen Sullivan, live in Cape Girardeau. Eileen Sullivan is planning to see the production Wednesday.

"I know Emily was very happy that she was chosen for the role because Jo had played it years ago," Eileen Sullivan said.

"When Jo played it in 1951, they billed her as the `Half pint with a 10 gallon voice,'" she said. "Jo is just a might over 5 feet, and she has a great big beautiful voice."

Jo Sullivan married composer Frank Loesser. "He was a genius, a wonderful man," Eileen Sullivan said. Frank Loesser, who died in 1969, wrote "Where's Charley?" "Guys and Dolls," "The Most Happy Fella," "Greenwillow," and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

Jo Sullivan grew up in Cape Girardeau. Eileen Sullivan recalled that when her daughter was about 13 years old, she discovered Jo's unusual voice.

"She started taking voice lessons locally and then in St. Louis," she said. "She would ride up on the train.

"After that she went to New York and started auditioning. It wasn't too long and she was getting parts," she said.

"She played in all the light operas around the country and played on Broadway. She was in `Showboat' on Broadway and had the lead in `The Most Happy Fella.'"

So it was little surprise to her grandmother that Emily Loesser would continue the tradition. "When Emily graduated from Northwestern, the first thing she did was "Diary of Anne Frank." She's been very busy since then," Eileen Sullivan said.

Jo Sullivan is vacationing in Spain and will miss her daughter's revival of Dorothy in St. Louis but will likely see the production when it plays in Indianapolis.

"She may see her when Emily is in `Sunday in the Park with George.'" That play is scheduled in St. Louis in August.

Jo Sullivan plans to visit Cape Girardeau in August.