Review: MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS at Performing Arts Center On The Square in Searcy

For my first introduction to Meet Me in St. Louis, I couldn't have asked for a sweeter way to experience this classic musical than with the talented community at Center on the Square in Searcy, where the production ran August 6-16. Directed by Ryan Gibbons, this show truly lived up to what Gibbons called a “true community experience,” with actual families performing together onstage and multiple roles double cast throughout the run. 

Based on the beloved 1944 MGM film starring Judy Garland, Meet Me in St. Louis follows the Smith family through the seasons of 1903 and 1904 as excitement builds for the upcoming Louisiana Purchase Exposition, better known as the St. Louis World's Fair. The Smith children are navigating romances, friendships, childhood adventures, and all the little dramas that come with family life when their father announces that his job may relocate the entire family to New York. Suddenly, the possibility of leaving the home and city they love threatens everything they have been looking forward to. Filled with nostalgia, humor, romance, and familiar songs including “The Trolley Song,” “The Boy Next Door,” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” the musical celebrates the idea that sometimes home is less about a place and more about the people who fill it.

 To open the show, it was so cute to see Annabelle Ferren as Tootie Smith singing “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Ferren immediately set the tone for the evening with an adorable introduction to the Smith family and their world. Both Ferren and Melody Foust as Agnes Smith were so much fun to watch throughout the production. The two embraced the youthfulness of their characters with ease, bringing that wonderfully mischievous, uninhibited energy that only the youngest members of a family can get away with. Their enthusiasm and playful interactions added plenty of personality to the Smith household, and I found myself looking forward to seeing what these two were going to do next.

And what a Wonderful Smith family Center on the Square assembled. Ken Davis as patriarch Alonso Smith and Brandy Davis as Anna Smith anchored the household, while Sam Stroud as Grandpa Prophater was charming as he brought another generation into the family dynamic. The Smith siblings were rounded out by Jonathan Foust as Lon, Marisa Lytle as Rose, and Moira Haslip as Esther, along with Ferren's Tootie and Foust's Agnes. Watching all of the different personalities interact was part of the charm of the production. Whether they were teasing each other, worrying about romances, celebrating together, or reacting to the possibility of leaving St. Louis, the cast created the comfortable commotion of a big family household.

Of course, the Smith household would not run nearly as smoothly without Heather Strongfellow as Katie, the family's maid, who becomes another personality within the busy home. Then there are the young men complicating the romantic lives of the Smith sisters. Gabriel Sears as John Truitt stepped into the role of the boy next door who captures Esther's attention, while Josiah Lillard as Warren Sheffield became part of Rose's romantic storyline. Lillard also pulled double duty behind the scenes as Assistant Director, making his contribution to the production extend well beyond his time onstage.

One detail that I absolutely loved was the use of actual musicians during the party scenes. Instead of simply relying on recorded music to establish the atmosphere, Sam Stroud and Anthony Lytle played stringed instruments onstage, adding another layer of authenticity to the Smith family's gatherings. Live musicians always make me happy, and incorporating them directly into the action made the parties feel less like staged scenes and more like we had been invited into a real turn-of-the-century celebration.

The double casting added a layer to the community experience. With multiple performers sharing roles throughout the run, Meet Me in St. Louis gave even more local actors the opportunity to participate in this classic story. Each cast combination naturally brought its own personality and chemistry, meaning audiences attending on different nights could experience slightly different versions of the Smith family and their neighbors.

And Meet Me in St. Louis is such a fitting choice for this kind of production. At its core, this is a show about a family simply going through life together. There are disagreements, crushes, celebrations, disappointments, sibling antics, holiday traditions, and plenty of moments where everybody seems to be in everybody else's business—which, let's face it, is pretty accurate family behavior!

The score carries much of the show's irresistible nostalgia. “The Trolley Song” is, of course, one of those numbers that practically begs an audience to smile along, while “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” brings a completely different emotional weight. I had no idea that this beloved Christmas classic originated with Meet Me in St. Louis, so discovering its place within the story was a delightful little theatre-history lesson for me.

As Center on the Square closed the book on Meet Me in St. Louis on August 16, what remained was more than another musical added to the season. For the families who shared the stage, the actors who alternated roles, the volunteers who helped make the production happen, and the audiences who came to support them, this was truly the community experience Gibbons set out to create. For information on what's next at Center On the Square, visit their website at https://centeronthesquare.org/.

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