tracking pixel
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Review: BRING IT ON at The Muny is a High Flying Sensation

By: Jun. 18, 2025
Get Access To Every Broadway Story

Unlock access to every one of the hundreds of articles published daily on BroadwayWorld by logging in with one click.




Existing user? Just click login.

The Muny continues to fly high in June. Just off their Tony win for Best Regional Theatre, The Muny opens their 107th season with The Muny premiere of Bring it On The Musical, based on a 2000 film of the same name. 

It's highly recommended that you find an evening this week, gather your tweens and teens, and get to The Muny to see this athletic musical that is a blend of cheerleading, tumbling, stunting and hip-hop dance. The infectious score mixes pop and hip-hop music with a story that is a bit of a twist on the movie. Jeff Whitty’s book is a fun surprise and is a different take on rivalry between Truman and Jackson High Schools.  

The Broadway production opened in 2012 for a limited run following a short national tour. The Muny’s Mike Isaacson and his producing partner Kristin Caskey were the executive producers on the project. The creative team is a veritable who’s who of Broadway talent.  

The score was composed by Pulitzer Prize, Tony, and Emmy winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), with lyrics by Pulitzer Prize, Tony, Grammy, Emmy, and Olivier winner Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton, In the Heights) and Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody). The book was written by Tony winner Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q), and the show was directed and choreographed by three-time Tony Winner Andy Blankenbuehler (In the Heights, Hamilton, Bandstand).  

The Broadway production featured actors who at the time were mostly unknowns and have gone on to remarkable success. The cast featured Tony winner Adrienne Warren (Tina, The Last Five Years), Tony Nominee Taylor Louderman (Mean Girls), Oscar Winner Ariana DeBose (Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, Hamilton), and Jason Gotay (Floyd Collins).  

The Muny production stars Jonalyn Saxer (Campbell), St. Louisan Kennedy Holmes (Danielle), Katy Geraghty (Bridget), and the University of Kentucky Cheerleading Team. Director Denis Jones, Choreographer Jennifer Weber, and Cheer Consultant and Choreographer Ryan Martin O’Connor have combined to create a fast paced, high energy, production filled with fantastic performances, jaw-dropping stunts, gymnastic tumbling, and synchronized electric hip-hop dance.  

Jones has streamlined the scene changes to give the production a cinematic quality. He’s afforded that luxury thanks to the mechanics of Ann Beyersdorfer’s versatile set design. Beyersdorfer is an architectural engineering when it comes to scenic design. Her set pieces shift easily into different formations for quick scene changes. Her structures double as lighting buses and her thoughtful use of color delineates location. Her pink and green bedrooms for Cambell and Ava are comedically whimsical and adorable. The details in Beyersdorfer's sets always include clever touches that evoke laughs and smiles. Notice her logo for the Pagoda Burger scene. It will make you grin.  

Jones and Beyersdorfer understand how to use the vastness of the Muny stage and know when to shrink it for storytelling intimacy. Their collaboration with lighting designer Jason Lyons and video designer Caite Hevner scaled the production perfectly for an audience of 11,000 theatregoers.  

Saxer and Holmes lead their “squad” and “crew” with exaggerated performances that play to the back of the house. Both are good vocalists, but Holmes has a more robust voice. They create amusing caricatures of student leaders. They have immense chemistry, and their blooming friendship feels genuine.  

Truman cheerleaders Skylar and Kylar, played by the hilarious Katie Riedel and Regine Sophia, are characteristically oblivious to life outside cheerleading. Danielle’s crew, Nautica and La Cienega, played by the equally funny Ayla Ciccone-Burton and AJ Paramo, have believable charisma with Holmes, Saxer, and Katy Geraghty. All seven actors and the rest of the ensemble act, sing, cheer, stunt, tumble, dance, pop, and lock with enough energy to power the city.  

Katy Geraghty (Bridget) is a scene-stealer as the Truman Mascot misfit whose popularity increases with a in change schools. Her comedic brilliance and high-energy performance are not a surprise. Two seasons ago Geraghty delighted audiences and critics as the daffy Sister Mary Patrick in The Muny’s Sister Act. Broadway World called her portrayal “boisterous campy fun.” Other critics called her performance “ebuillent, chirpy, and endearingly plucky.” Seems Geraghty has a knack for jolly, high-energy hysterics. She is loveably zany as the awkward Bridget.  

Cheer Consultant and Choreographer Ryan Martin O’Connor and the University of Kentucky Cheer Team bring exciting athleticism to the production. They fly high, build pyramids, tumble with precision, and wow the audience. O’Connor and the team trained the actors to stunt, bringing a level of athletic authenticity to the production. Kudos to the Muny team for the vision to add UK’s cheer team to the company, and to the university’s cheer team for their exhilarating contribution.  

Jennifer Weber’s visually dynamic hip-hop choreography is perfection in its rhythmic syncopation. Don't take your eyes off the ensemble’s feet in the first act’s “Do Your Own Thing,” and “Friday Night, Jackson.” The company’s execution is flawless, and the break dance moves of Jacksons High’s leprechaun mascot are astonishing. Weber’s work incorporating the UK cheerleaders in her choreography is as impressive as O’Connor’s work with the actors. 

Music Director Anne Shuttlesworth and the Muny Orchestra handle Kitt’s contemporary score with fantastic flair. The modern hip-hop and pop sounds are a significant departure from usual musical theatre orchestrations. Shuttlesworth and her twenty-five musicians deliver a wonderful instrumental performance. The sound, both from the orchestra and the actors, is supported by John Shivers and David Patridge engineered sound design. Every spoken word and every note sung is audible back to the free seats. 

Bring It On is electrifying musical theatre for people of all ages. The biggest surprise is Jeff Whitty’s clever book. His story is filled with laughs, unexpected surprises, and a lot of heart. The exuberant young cast’s lively performances are punctuated with high-intensity dancing and explosive gymnastics. The Muny’s vibrant production of Bring It On soars and is highly recommended. 

Bring It On continues on stage in Forest Park through Sunday, June 22, 2025. Tickets can be purchased by clicking the link below or by visiting The Muny Box Office in Forest Park.

Editorial Note: This opinion was rendered based on a press night performance that was suspended early due to inclement weather. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Phillip Hamer

Reader Reviews

To post a comment, you must register and login.


Need more St. Louis Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...

Videos