Meet Me in St. Louis, a 1989 musical based on the 1944 MGM film, will be staged April 6-9 at Monmouth College as a joint production between the College’s departments of theatre and music, and the Buchanan Center for the Arts.

With songs by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, and book by Hugh Wheeler, the two-hour musical will begin at 7:30 p.m. April 6-8 at Wells Theater, with a 2 p.m. matinee April 9.

Set amid anticipation for the opening of the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, the musical centers on members of the Smith family, who experience romance, new job prospects, and the excitement of living in the city that was becoming – even if only temporarily – home to the world.

Following the family through a full calendar year, the audience encounters the Smith’s good-natured humor and are treated to several memorable musical numbers, including “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “The Trolley Song.”

The cast includes college students, current and retired faculty members, children of faculty members, local middle school and high school students, and local adults.

“Although the plot focuses largely on the Smith family, attention is also given to the surrounding St. Louis community,” said Monmouth Assistant Professor of Theatre Vanessa Campagna, who is directing and choreographing the musical. “The community-centric nature of our production captures, and even accentuates, the spirit of this musical.”

Assistant Professor of History Christine Myers, who taught a course on World’s Fairs, will give a pre-show lecture at 6:15 p.m. April 7, focusing especially on the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

Tickets for Meet Me in St. Louis can be purchased online. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and students, and $6 for students and faculty with a Monmouth College ID.