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The Melody Top

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

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The Melody Top was built in 1962. It was only operational during the summers beginning in 1963.[1] The theatre was modeled after the identical Melody Top in Chicago.[2] 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.[3] Later, the architecture of the venue comprised a wooden dome.[3] The Milwaukee Melody Top was affiliated with a second Melody Top located in Hillside, Illinois.[4]

The Melody Top hosted "...Broadway quality presentations of big scale musical hits..."[5] The theatre hosted celebrities such as Leonard Nimoy in Oliver!; Betty White in My Fair Lady; and Christopher Walken in West Side Story.[3]

Productions

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1963

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1964

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1965

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1966

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1967

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1968

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1969

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1970

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1971

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1972

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1973

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1974

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1975

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1976

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1977

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1978

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1979

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1980

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1981

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1982

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1983

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1984

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1985

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1986

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References

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  1. ^ "Melody Top Theatre" (PDF). Milwaukee History. Milwaukee County Historical Society. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  2. ^ West, Jonathan (2009). Milwaukee's live theater. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. pp. 50–56. ISBN 9780738560595. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Foran, Chris (17 August 2015). "Website celebrates memories of Milwaukee's Melody Top theater". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  4. ^ Kohlhoff, Ralph Edward (1968). The Dissemination of the Dramatic Arts in the Metropolitan area of Milwaukee. Madison Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Madison. p. 266. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Performance Venues". UWM. Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved 16 July 2022.