Regional NewsThe Muny's 2020 Summer Variety Hour Live! Will Feature Archived Clips From Past Productions and MoreThe free series will launch July 20.
By
Andrew Gans
July 14, 2020
Aida at The Muny
Phillip Hamer
The Muny 2020 Summer Variety Hour Live!, a live-streamed free series featuring footage from past Muny summer shows, new songs and dances from Muny artists across the U.S., and more, will launch July 20 at 9:15 PM ET.
The cornerstone of the online series, which continues Mondays through August 17 on YouTube, are archived clips from Muny productions of the past seven seasons, including The Little Mermaid, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Jersey Boys, Spamalot, Aida, Singin’ in the Rain, All Shook Up, The Wiz, Newsies, The Music Man, Annie, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and Paint Your Wagon.
The Variety Hour Live! will also feature songs and dances created remotely by Muny artists from around the country, musical theatre duets performed by Muny couples, dance pieces created and filmed at The Muny, performances by the Muny Kids and Teens, a live vocal performance from a Muny artist, behind-the-scenes stories about what’s happening at the St. Louis outdoor venue, Munywood Squares (a Muny-themed game show featuring a host of Muny stars), and more.
Each broadcast will be repeated once the subsequent Thursday, although the archived footage will only be available during the live stream.
“We wanted to give our community a chance to gather and relive some cherished Muny memories, and hopefully create some wonderful new ones for five summer nights,” said Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson, who will serve as the variety hour’s host. "This will be a loving throwback to those summer variety shows of the '60s and '70s, where you had a little bit of something for everyone, and always lots of fun and joy. These scenes from past Muny productions have never been allowed to be shared publicly. It took many people to make this happen, and I am grateful so many wanted to support The Muny at this challenging time.”
0
of
Flip Through 100 Stars for 100 Years of Theatre at the Muny
Flip Through 100 Stars for 100 Years of Theatre at the Muny
From Guys and Dolls to Aida, the Muny has produced hundreds of shows since its founding in 1919.
100 PHOTOS
1926: Irene Dunne in The Muny's 1926 season
1931: Cary Grant in the Muny's 1931 season
June Havoc in the Muny's 1936 season
1938: Richard (Red) Skelton in Gentlemen Unafraid
1940: Vincent Prince in The American Way
1954: Elaine Stritch in Call Me Madam
1957: Barbara Cook in Irene
1957: Paul Lynde in Irene
1959: Bob Hope in Roberta
1961: Edie Adams in Calamity Jane
1961: Jack Gilford and Mary M. Cook in Cinderella
1960: Dan Rowan and Dick Martin in The Red Mill
1962: Margaret Hamilton in Oklahoma!
1964: Andy Devine in Show Boat
1966: Eddie Albert in The Music Man
1966: Betty White in Bells are Ringing
1967: Margot Fonteyn in The Royal Ballet
1967: Rudolf Nureyev in The Royal Ballet
1968: Ethel Merman in Call Me Madam
1968: Arthur Godfrey in Show Boat
1968: Florence Henderson in The Sound of Music
1968: Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Eddie Albert in My Fair Lady
1968: Cab Calloway and Pearl Bailey in Hello, Dolly!
1968: Pearl Bailey in Hello, Dolly!
1968: Vicki Lawrence in Carousel
1969: Ozzie Smith and Harriet Nelson in State Fair
1969: Billy Barty in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1969: Cyd Charisse in Damn Yankees
1970: Jerry Orbach in Promises, Promises
1971: Betty Grable, Chita Rivera, and Dorothy Lamour in This is Show Business
1971: Jackie Coogan and Mary Wickes in The Music Man
1971: Mary Wickes in The Music Man
1971: Milton Berle and Nancy Andrews in Two by Two
1972: William Daniels in 1776
1972: Ann Miller in Anything Goes
1972: Yvonne DeCarlo in Follies
1973: Debbie Reynolds in Irene
1973: Agnes Moorehead in Gigi
1974: Bernadette Peters and Robert Preston in Mack and Mabel
1974: Bernadette Peters and Robert Preston in Mack and Mabel
1974: Gene Kelly in Take Me Along
1974: Carol Burnett and Rock Hudson in I Do! I Do!
1974: Rock Hudson in I Do! I Do!
1975: Jack Klugman in The Odd Couple
1976: Gale Gordon in Show Boat
1976: Peter Graves in 1776
1976: Yul Brynner in The King and I
1976: Zero Mostel in Fiddler on the Roof
1976: Angela Lansbury in Mame
1976: Patti LuPone and Chaim Topol in The Baker's Wife
A new scholarship will send three young writers to the 2026 International Thespian Festival to work directly with Playbill on coverage of the week-long event.