The Disney show “Aladdin,” based on the hit film from 1992, was the most popular show at The Muny in 2012. Over nine performances, it sold 74,857 tickets and had a per performance average of 8,317.

In second place was “Dreamgirls” starring Jennifer Holliday. Holliday, who is 52, starred in the original Broadway production back in 1979. “Dreamgirls” had an attendance of 52, 865 patrons for the standard seven show schedule, giving it a per show attendance average of 7,552. Holliday, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 15 years ago, gave an emotional and heartfelt performance, stopping the show every night singing her signature song, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” According to Holliday, it was her farewell appearance in “Dreamgirls.”

The fabled Broadway musical “Chicago,” which first played The Muny in 1977 starring the late Jerry Orbach and Anne Reinking, was third in overall attendance.

“The King and I” finished fourth in attendance, followed in order by “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “Pirates! (or, Gilbert & Sullivan Plunder’d).

The severe temperatures during parts of The Muny’s 2012 season has prompted Muny President and CEO Dennis Reagan to enter discussions with several firms who say they can design a fan ventilating system that will allow a cool breeze to cover the seating area of the entire theater. Attendance in 2012 was almost equal to the 362, 851 total attendance figure of 2011. The warmer temperatures are seen as a factor that kept the 2012 attendance from exceeding the previous year. All attendance figures given out by The Muny include approximately 1,500 free seats for each performance in the top nine rows of the theater.

The Muny schedule of shows for the 95th season in 2013 will be announced in mid-October.

http://muny.org/