The Melody Top Theatre was a musical theatre located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and featured performances in the round. The theatre that was originally built as a circus-style tent is now defunct.
History The Melody Top was built in 1962. It was only operational during the summers beginning in 1963. The theatre was modeled after the identical Melody Top in Chicago. The large venue lasted until 1986. The theatre was originally built in the form of a giant, circus-style tent. It was located on W Good Hope Road, just east of N 76th St in Milwaukee. Later, the architecture of the venue comprised a wooden dome. The Milwaukee Melody Top was affiliated with a second Melody Top located in Hillside, Illinois.
The Melody Top hosted "...Broadway quality presentations of big scale musical hits..." The theatre hosted celebrities such as Leonard Nimoy in Oliver!; Betty White in My Fair Lady; and Christopher Walken in West Side Story.
Productions 1963 Guys and Dolls - starring Gordon and Sheila MacRae The Music Man - starring Forrest Tucker The Unsinkable Molly Brown - starring Jaye P. Morgan The Vagabond King - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt Bye Bye Birdie - starring Van Johnson Brigadoon - starring Dennis Day and McLean Stevenson
1964 Kiss Me, Kate - starring Howard Keel Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - starring Betty Hutton Wildcat - starring Martha Raye Roberta - starring Edward Everett Horton Little Me - starring Gabriel Dell and Karen Morrow Mr. President - starring Bert Parks The Pajama Game - starring Phil Ford and Mimi Hines
1965 West Side Story - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti and Christopher Walken South Pacific - starring Betty White and Gene Hollmann Bells Are Ringing - starring Phil Ford and Mimi Hines My Fair Lady - starring Michael Allinson and Barbara Williams Annie Get Your Gun - starring Jaye P. Morgan and Gary Mann The Sound of Music - starring Janet Blair and John Myhers Camelot - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt
1966 The King and I - starring Gisele MacKenzie Can-Can - starring Monique van Vooren Gypsy - starring Janis Paige Flower Drum Song - starring Chita Rivera Milk and Honey - starring Molly Picon Call Me Madam - starring Margaret Whiting and Tommy Sands How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - starring Robert Q. Lewis and Karen Morrow
1967 Sweet Charity - starring Gretchen Wyler Lady in the Dark - starring Patrice Munsel High Button Shoes - starring Margaret Whiting and Gabriel Dell Silk Stockings - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt The Boy Friend - starring Jane Powell On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - starring Forrest Tucker Carousel - starring John Raitt
1968 Irma la Douce - starring Chita Rivera Fanny - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti Where's Charley? - starring Gabriel Dell and Eileen Brennan Take Me Along - starring Robert Q. Lewis Pal Joey - starring Margaret Whiting The Desert Song - starring Anne Jeffreys and Bill Hayes Of Thee I Sing - starring Hal March and Jack Bailey
1969 The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd - starring Phil Ford and Mimi Hines Carnival! - starring Jean-Pierre Aumont and Marisa Pavan Paint Your Wagon - starring Earl Wrightson Anything Goes - starring Gretchen Wyler The Most Happy Fella - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti and Edwin Steffe Song of Norway - starring Anne Jeffreys and Bill Hayes Oklahoma! - starring John Raitt
1970 I Do! I Do! - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt Mame - starring Kaye Stevens Cabaret - starring Imogene Coca, Tommy Tune and King Donovan How Now, Dow Jones - starring Robert Q. Lewis and Selma Diamond Li'l Abner - starring Peter Palmer and Joy Garrett Funny Girl - starring Jaye P. Morgan Show Boat - starring Ann Blyth
1971 Hello, Dolly! - starring Dorothy Lamour and Jack Bailey Fiddler on the Roof - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt George M! - starring Michael Callan Damn Yankees - starring Van Johnson Meet Me In St. Louis - starring Jane Powell Plain and Fancy - starring Margaret Whiting and Carl Betz Kismet - starring John Raitt
1972 The Sound of Music - starring Ann Blyth Kiss Me, Kate - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt 1776 - starring John Raitt and Stubby Kaye Little Me - starring Arte Johnson and Karen Morrow Oliver! - starring Leonard Nimoy Company - starring Gretchen Wyler and Ed Evanko Man of La Mancha - starring Earl Wrightson
1973 West Side Story - starring James Darren South Pacific - starring Ann Blyth Applause - starring Gretchen Wyler Wonderful Town - starring Sheila MacRae Promises, Promises - starring Orson Bean Brigadoon - starring Jane Powell The Music Man - starring Van Johnson
1974 No, No, Nanette - starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake Finian's Rainbow - starring Arte Johnson Gigi - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt Guys and Dolls - starring George Chakiris and Rita Moreno Once Upon A Mattress - starring Jo Anne Worley Sugar - starring Orson Bean The King and I - starring Leonard Nimoy and Anne Jeffreys
1975 Good News - starring Dorothy Collins and Carl Betz Annie Get Your Gun - starring John Raitt and Karen Morrow Bitter Sweet - starring Ann Blyth Zorba - starring Giorgio Tozzi The Unsinkable Molly Brown - starring Mimi Hines and Peter Palmer Gypsy - starring Margaret Whiting, Dave Madden and Linda Kaye Henning Camelot - starring Ed Ames
1976 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - starring Arte Johnson and Dave Madden 1776 - starring Ross Martin and Stubby Kaye My Fair Lady - starring Leonard Nimoy Bells Are Ringing - starring Rita Moreno and Tab Hunter A Little Night Music - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt Shenandoah - starring John Raitt Irene - starring Jane Powell
1977 Bye Bye Birdie - starring Lucie Arnaz and Michael Callan How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - starring Van Johnson The Merry Widow - starring Richard Fredricks and Linda Michele Follies- starring Dorothy Collins and Anne Jeffreys The Wizard of Oz - starring Stubby Kaye and Nancy Kulp The Pajama Game - starring Ruta Lee, Don Stewart and Alan Sues Fiddler on the Roof - starring Giorgio Tozzi
1978 The Sound of Music - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti Peter Pan - starring Nancy Dussault and Alan Sues High Button Shoes - starring Monty Hall and Anne Jeffreys On a Clear Day You Can See Forever - starring Gene Barry and Joy Garrett Anything Goes - starring Jo Anne Worley Pippin - starring Barry Williams Man of La Mancha - starring John Raitt
1979 Mame - starring Gretchen Wyler Paint Your Wagon - starring Howard Keel A Connecticut Yankee - starring Earl Wrightson and Lois Hunt The Boy Friend - starring Vivian Blaine and Don Grady Call Me Madam - starring Nanette Fabray Lullaby of Broadway - starring Johnny Desmond Show Boat - starring Margaret Hamilton and Ed Herlihy
1980 The Wiz - starring Irene Cara and Ira Hawkins Where's Charley? - starring Eddie Mekka and Kitty Carlisle Chicago - starring Robert Mandan Hello, Dolly! - starring Jo Anne Worley South Pacific - starring Giorgio Tozzi Can-Can - starring Sue Ane Langdon and John Phillip Law The Student Prince - starring Jack Gilford Grease - starring Barry Williams
1981 The Music Man - starring Orson Bean Camelot - starring Anna Maria Alberghetti The Unsinkable Molly Brown - starring Jane Powell Funny Girl - starring Mimi Hines and George Chakiris Oklahoma! - starring Barry Williams Cabaret - starring Jacqueline Schultz and Louisa Flaningam Shenandoah - starring Giorgio Tozzi The Debbie Reynolds Show - starring Debbie Reynolds
1982 Guys and Dolls - starring Johnny Desmond, Sue Ane Langdon and Stubby Kaye West Side Story - starring Barry Williams Meet Me In St. Louis - starring Andrea McArdle Fiddler on the Roof - starring Tom Poston The Pirates of Penzance - starring Doug Sheehan Fanny - starring John Raitt Annie Get Your Gun - starring Jo Anne Worley
1983 Barnum - starring Larry Kert Annie - starring Peggy Cass George M! - starring Eddie Mekka Promises, Promises - starring Desi Arnaz Jr. Little Me - starring Arte Johnson and Penny Singleton Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - starring Jason Kincaid They're Playing Our Song - starring Robert Walden
1984 Gypsy - starring Jo Anne Worley Oliver! - starring Bill and Susan Seaforth Hayes Show Boat - starring Eddie Bracken, Stephen Lehew, Marcia King and Robert Mosley Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - starring Christopher Durham My Fair Lady - starring Noel Harrison and Christine Ebersole Bye Bye Birdie - starring Barry Williams The Sound of Music - starring Tovah Feldshuh The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - starring Fannie Flagg
1985 Pump Boys and Dinettes - starring Misty Rowe and Tom Nielsen A Chorus Line - no featured performers South Pacific - starring Mary Cadorette and David Holliday Jesus Christ Superstar - starring Peter Reckell The Wizard of Oz - starring Andrea McArdle The Desert Song - starring Stephen Lehew and Mary Ernster Evita - starring Christine Ebersole and Iris Lieberman (matinees) Amadeus - starring Bill Hayes and Christopher Durham
1986 Babes in Arms - starring Iris Lieberman She Loves Me - starring Mary Ernster and Norman Moses The 1940's Radio Hour - no featured performers Two by Two - starring Lawrence McCauley Something's Afoot - starring Mary Jo Catlett
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