Meet Me In St. Louis

Photo: Carol Rosegg

Despite some terrific, enduring songs and the clang clang clang of that trolley, I'm not convinced that the 1944 MGM movie musical is such great source material for the stage: I couldn't stand it with big production values on Broadway back in 1989, and I liked (the first act of) this small-scale revival even less. With only three instruments to make music and only a tiny playing area for the performers, the focus is squarely on the story and the characters. Unfortunately, the antiquated, twee story is not this musical's strong suit, and it's personality rather than character that we really need to be charmed by the longings of the Smith girls as they await the Worlds Fair at the turn of the century.