The Muny - Forest Park - St. Louis, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 38.453 W 090° 16.843
15S E 736672 N 4280434
In our fabulous Forest Park, remnants of the 1904 Worlds Fair still in use for original purposes, and much of it FREE, even the Muny has Free seats.
Waymark Code: WMTJD7
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 11/29/2016
Views: 13
County of scene: St. Louis Independent City
Location of Muny: Pagoda Circle & Theater Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis
My daughter and I attend one play (musical) a year at the Muny. It is her birthday present from me. We get to enjoy a great show and each others company for a whole evening. Last year, when I took the photos, we saw Fiddler on the Roof; an excellent rendition.
"The dream of St. Louisans for a permanent outdoor theatre in Forest Park probably dates back to the 1904 World’s Fair. The realization of that dream began in 1916 with plans for an outdoor production of AS YOU LIKE IT by Margaret Anglin’s Shakespearean troupe. And the dream became a reality in 1917 with the construction of the Municipal Theatre for six performances of AIDA, produced for the 13th Annual Convention of Advertising Clubs of the World.
"In 1916, Parks Commissioner Nelson Cunliff, Miss Anglin and Civic League President John Gundlach selected a grassy area between two large oak trees for a June series of performances of Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT. Shrubs and small trees were cleared from the sloping hillside and a retaining wall built to level the performing area. AS YOU LIKE IT starred Miss Anglin, Robert Mantell and Sidney Greenstreet. The out-of-town professionals were joined by nearly 1,000 St. Louis folk dancers and folk singers in observance of the 300th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. Crowds averaged 8,000, reviews were good, and after an opening night rain-out, AS YOU LIKE IT moved into the history books as the first production at the site of today’s Muny." History of the Muny
The pagoda:
"The island in the center of Pagoda Lake was the site of the Park’s first bandstand from 1876, also called the music pagoda. The original pagoda was deemed unsafe and closed in 1911. It was damaged beyond repair by storm, the wreckage burned and was torn down around 1912. It was replaced by the Nathan Frank Bandstand in 1925. Donated by Nathan Frank, the bandstand was designed by Heffensteller, Hirsch and Watson. Pagoda Circle was restored as part of the Forest Park master plan. The landscape, designed by the firm of Oehme van Sweden, was planted by volunteers from the Flora Conservancy." ~ Forest Park Forever