A beloved St. Louis institution turns 100 this year: the Muny Opera, which opens it centennial season Monday, June 11. It is the country’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theater, and for Jewish St. Louisans of all ages, the Muny holds a treasure trove of memories. 

Arlene O’Connell, a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona, took her daughters to every Muny show for years.

“I started taking my children when they were 8 and 10,” O’Connell said. “One of my daughters is a theater teacher, and the other is a musician so, yes, they loved the theater. Loved it, loved it, loved it!”

Arlene’s daughter Julie O’Connell Roberts works for a Creve Coeur financial adviser now, but music was her first love. She recalls going with her sisters and mother to see Muny shows. 

“It was a wonderful time and a memory we all share fondly,” she said. 

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The 100th anniversary of the Muny represents a significant milestone for the entire family, mother and daughter said.

“You don’t see this everywhere. I happen to be the mother of twins and there’s an organization called the Mother of Twins Clubs. In 1999 we had the national convention here, and I was one of the chairpersons. We went to the Muny one night because it was unique and we had several hundred people in town. It was the middle of July and hot, but lots of fun.”

Another Jewish St. Louisan and longtime Muny season ticket holder is Mike Lefton, chairman and CEO of Metal Exchange Corp., a 40-year-old St. Louis-based international company.

 “It’s an amazing run, 100 years,” Lefton said. “If you’re there for a good show on a nice night, it’s one of the best things St. Louis has to offer. There’s not a better evening.”

Lefton and his family have been Muny regulars for more than two decades. The Leftons love the shows and the little things the Muny’s management team does for loyal subscribers.

“One of my first memories was the beginning of our second season,” Lefton said. “We had our first child in May of that year,  and it was pretty clear that we weren’t going to be able to attend any of the shows that season. We didn’t want to lose the seats because they were really good, so I wrote (Muny CEO) Denny Reagan a letter telling him we were new parents and asking if there was any way he could give us a little break for one season.

“Sure enough, he wrote me back and wished us luck with the baby and said our seats would be waiting for us the following season. I thought that was a really nice personal touch.”

That touch is one of the reasons for the longevity of the institution, according Sue Greenberg, the Muny’s company manager. 

“Look at the audience and how St. Louisans have embraced the Muny as something that was of value to them, and their support has kept the theater going,” Greenberg said. “They really have embraced what we do and take great joy in it, and they have for generations. 

“It’s because they came as children and on their dates, and eventually they brought their own children and grandchildren. We get letters about that constantly, memories of seeing shows with their family.”

Kevin Rosenthal, 19, recalls many a night at the Muny with one or the other of his grandmothers, Sally Rosenthal and Sheila Cohen, who still frequent the venue.

“I’ve loved every Muny show I’ve seen, especially ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Grease,’ ” said Rosenthal, who graduated from Clayton High School and is finishing his freshman year at the University of California-Santa Barbara, where he is majoring in film. 

While thoroughly enjoying the productions, he wasn’t always a fan of the weather.

“I remember how hot it can get and retreating to those industrial fans, which are your best friends at the Muny,” Rosenthal said.

Barb Singer Wagman considers the Muny “a special place that continues to hold a significant place in my heart.”

“As a kid, you’d get dressed up to go with your parents, and it was such a unique, festive occasion,” she said. “It developed into a lifelong love of musical theater, to spend time reading books and ultimately, over time, I went to see 70 Broadway shows in New York.

“I remember one of my favorite things was when I was old enough to drive, and single tickets went on sale at the Muny, I couldn’t wait until I could go get in line very early on the first day and get my tickets for the season for the shows that my friends and I wanted. That was a big thing.”

Rachel Pevnick’s family lived in a flat in south St. Louis in the 1940s. They didn’t have a lot of money, but Pevnick’s mother made sure they had bus fare to get to the Muny and sit in the free seats. A longstanding tradition, the 11,000-seat Muny offers more than 1,450 free seats to every performance on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We took three separate buses to get there,” said Pevnick, 85. “It was an adventure, but I have very fond memories. It was wonderful, and then we got a special treat during intermission. They used to walk around and sell Eskimo pies, especially on a hot night, because we could afford that. We really looked forward to that.”

It wasn’t just the audience that felt electricity in the air. It  extended to the performers. Arthur Schwartz, 81, a member of the Muny chorus in 1955 and 1956, remembers it well.

“It was fun, it was the greatest job I had as a kid,” Schwartz said. “I went to the University of Wisconsin, and I couldn’t wait for college to be done so I could get to my summer job, which was the Muny Opera. We did every show, and they paid us $75 a week, which I thought was great money doing what I wanted to do. Getting on stage in front of that orchestra and that amazing revolving stage, it was just thrilling.

“The first year, we opened with ‘Annie Get Your Gun.’ Mary McCarty played the part of Annie. The second year, we opened with ‘South Pacific’ and we closed with ‘Pajama Game,’ and Eddie Foy Jr. came in to do the part of Hines, which was his original part in Broadway.”

Schwartz has a place in Muny history. His show credits are listed on the Muny website, as are all cast alumni. He is listed as one of the men in the “Desert Song” chorus, Seaman Jack Hayes in “South Pacific” and a singer in “Peter Pan” and “Kismet.” 

Another role Schwartz relished was as a member of the chorus in “Damn Yankees.” The chorus, all wearing Washington Senators uniforms, gathered in the locker room during the second act for the song “The Game.” The catchy call-and-response tune was a signature of the Broadway show. In it, the ballplayers lament that life on the road is filled with temptation, but they block it out and focus on baseball. Several verses are a bit bawdy.

“It was the highlight of the men’s chorus that summer,” Schwartz said. “We loved doing it. Anyway, during dress rehearsal Saturday night, the producer John Kennedy pulled it from the show because it was considered too risqué for a St. Louis audience.”