THE MUNY SITS PRETTY FOR 2001; RENOVATION TO BE COMPLETED BY MAY 1

A $5 million renovation that includes new seats, a fresh layer of concrete and new signs and railings is progressing on schedule at The Muny in St. Louis.

The target date for completing the work at The Muny's home in Forest Park is May 1, a month and a half before the opening of "Brigadoon," The Muny's first show of the 2001 season.

The venerable outdoor amphitheater has scheduled a season that mixes old favorites -- including "My Fair Lady" and "Brigadoon" -- with newer productions like "Miss Saigon" and even a world premiere.

The new seats at The Muny will each be about 1-inch wider. General manager Denny Reagan insists that larger backsides aren't the reason for the wider seats. "They were undersized," he said of the old seats.

The seats were last replaced in 1968.

The venue also is increasing its number of accessible seats to 115, with 115 companion seats positioned next to them. The accessible seats will be located throughout the theater.

Both changes will reduce the number of seats in the theater by approximately 700.

A 5-inch-thick concrete cap is being put over the existing concrete, which is the same concrete poured when the amphitheater was built in 1917.

The Muny was inspired by a 1916 production of "As You Like It," staged to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. The production was mounted on the spot in Forest Park where The Muny now stands.

Construction of the theater began April 16, 1917, and was completed the following June. On June 5, 1917, twelve thousand people filled the theater for the inaugural production, Verdi's "Aida."

Now with seating for 11,000, the Muny claims to be the country's oldest and largest outdoor theater.

Annual attendance is about 420,000. Reagan says The Muny has a growing core audience. In 1990, The Muny had 16,000 season ticketholders. That number was 29,000 last year.

He doesn't know their names but says a mother and daughter from Cape Girardeau drive to St. Louis to attend a Muny performance every Saturday during the summer.

Along with picnicking in the Welcoming Plaza before the curtain, one of The Muny traditions is the practice of giving out free tickets to every performance on a first-come, first-served basis. Nearly 1,500 tickets are given away each performance night, amounting to nearly 10 million tickets since the theater opened.

No touring shows

Unlike some venues, The Muny does not present touring shows. It produces its own, hiring directors from New York and Los Angeles and bringing in principals but filling out the cast with local performers as much as possible.

This year's season begins June 18 with a performance of "Brigadoon," the romantic fantasy that spawned the hit "Almost Like Being in Love." "Miss Saigon" debuts June 25 with a caution to parents that the musical contains subject matter and language that may make it inappropriate for youngsters. "Miss Saigon" is the story of a Vietnamese girl and an American soldier entwined by war and fate.

The Muny is one of only five U.S. theaters that have been given the right to produce the "Miss Saigon."

"Roman Holiday," opening July 9 is a world premiere of an original Muny production. Based on the 1953 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, the production is set to a Cole Porter score.

The Muny usually waits five years before recycling a show, but good children's musicals are scarce, and "The Wizard of Oz" is popular with everyone. Dorothy and friends open July 16.

"An Evening of Gershwin July 23-29 is a revue offering such tunes as "Embraceable You," "I've got Rhythm," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" and "Someone to Watch Over Me."

Professor Henry Higgins teaches that Cockney guttersnipe to talk all over again when "My Fair Lady" returns July 30-Aug. 5 with the Lerner and Loewe hits "Get Me to the Church on Time," "On the Street Where You Live" and "I Could have Danced All Night."

Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita" will conclude the season Aug. 6-12.

Season tickets are now available and range in price from $35 to $346.50. Single tickets go on sale June 2. They range in price from $7 to $49.

For information, phone (314) 361-1900 or visit the Web site, www.muny.com.

THE MUNY SCHEDULE

June 18-24: "Brigadoon"

June 25-July 1: "Miss Saigon"

July 9-15: "Roman Holiday"

July 16-22: "The Wizard of Oz"

July 23-29: "An Evening with Gershwin"

July 30-Aug. 5: "My Fair Lady"

Aug. 6-12: "Evita"