PHOTO BY MATT FRANKLIN COURTESY THE MUNI This June, The Muni, Springfield’s long-running community theater under the stars, presents a fun, farcical take on the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Spamalot is the Tony Award-winning musical adaptation of the 1975 classic British comedy film Monty Python & the Holy […]
The Muni
Posted inArts & Culture
Monumental mileage
Springfield Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K Lace up those sneakers and bust out those energy gels; it’s marathon time! The second annual Springfield Marathon returns on Oct. 19, though runners will need to register no later than Oct. 18 at 4:00 p.m. The picturesque, mostly flat 26.2-mile race begins Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Runners start west […]
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Charming characters
Springfield Municipal Opera’s third show is Shrek the Musical directed by Craig Williams II. Eight shows at The Muni will each come alive with large-scale special effects, say show organizers. Explains Williams, “From his swampy home, Shrek, with his extensive prosthetic makeup, will emerge to fight a 30-foot-long dragon that breathes smoke, flies around the […]
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Elvis-like energy
PHOTO BY DONNA LOUNSDBERRY The Muni’s 2014 season got off to a great start with The Sound of Music and now presents its second show, the musical comedy All Shook Up, opening Friday, July 11. Directed by Anna Bussing, All Shook Up features the music of Elvis Presley including his songs “Jailhouse Rock,” “Love Me […]
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Stage phenomenon
Springfield Municipal Opera (The Muni) ends its 2013 season with the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical that made a sensational 12-year run on Broadway. This local production of Rent will run for three consecutive weekends in September. Based loosely on Puccini’s opera La Boheme, Rent tells the story of seven artists, musicians and creatives finding their voices […]
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Magical musical
The Muni will present the classic tale of Peter Pan Aug. 2-4 and 7-11 complete with amazing special effects in its outdoor theater. Anna Bussing tackles the role of Peter Pan, the boy who refuses to grow up. Along with his fairy sidekick, they fly away with youngsters Wendy, John and Michael (Lindsey Leach, Jakob Hankins […]
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Girl power
Springfield Municipal Opera (The Muni) and Illini Bank will present the musical masterpiece Dreamgirls, July 12-14, 17-21 at its outdoor amphitheater. The storyline follows a 1960s girl singing group that comes into fame and fortune. The musical was inspired by the Motown girl group, The Supremes. Nominated for 13 Tony awards and winning six, folks […]
Posted inMusic
Catch the June music bug
We sure are on a roll weather wise lately, either sweating up a storm or sweating out a storm, with not much in between. Regardless, the music keeps pouring all the time and that’s just fine. Speaking of weather and live music, have you been to the Old Capitol Plaza on the south side of […]
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Masterful musical
The Muni opens its 2013 season with Les Miserables, June 14-16, 19-23 and 27-29. Directed by Stephan Kaplan, this musical follows Jean Valjean, an unfairly imprisoned man who upon release becomes a force for good but finds he cannot escape his past. Joshua Ratz plays Valjean. The Muni has been entertaining Springfield area audiences at […]
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Enchanting tale
Hannah Siehr as Belle and Kellen Fant as the Beast lead a large cast of locals in a beloved favorite, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, for eight shows at the outdoor theater, The Muni. The musical is about a handsome but conceited prince who is cursed to live as a hideous beast by a beggar woman […]
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Musical folktale
Enjoy outdoor theater as Once On This Island is performed at The Muni July 20-22, 25-29. The story follows Ti Moune, a young peasant girl from a poor village on a small island. Her life is uprooted when the gods of the island decide to use her to settle their argument about which is stronger […]
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Dance fever
Gear up for more great performances at Springfield’s outdoor theater, The Muni. The local production of Crazy For You, directed by Doug Hahn and Gary Shull, takes to the stage nightly on June 29, July 1 and July 5-8. All performances begin at 8:30 p.m. The musical Crazy for You is about a well-to-do 1930s […]
