While "Meet Me in St. Louis" is set in the early 1900s, the brains behind Valparaiso's Memorial Theatre Company's production of the musical see it as relevant now as it was in its time.

"The spirit of family togetherness and keeping the family together is what's at the heart of it," said codirector Justin Treasure. "I think, especially in light of everything that we're going through as a country this year, that's a real prevalent emotion."

"The Smith family in 'Meet Me in St. Louis' is the model family that everyone aspires to have," said Memorial Theatre Company executive producer Brian Schafer. "And with the holiday season and the economic forecast we're looking at, I think audiences are looking for something they can bring their families to."

The musical opens today and runs to Dec. 21 at Valparaiso's Memorial Opera House.

"St. Louis" tells the tale of the Smith family, who are based in the play's title town during the World's Fair. In it, the Smith daughters deal with matters of the heart, and the family is faced with leaving their beloved hometown for the Big Apple.

First seen on the big screen in 1944, "St. Louis" starred Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien and features silver screen standards such as "The Trolley Song," "The Boy Next Door" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." It was nominated for four Academy Awards and was successfully brought to Broadway in 1989.

"It's definitely a family friendly and feel-good type of show," Schafer said.

"And it's a quintessential, all-American musical. It's lighthearted and fun for the whole family, and it's a perfect show for this time of the year."

Bob Penney, of Munster, and LuAnn Pezel, of Portage, play father Alonzo Smith and mother Anna Smith, respectively.

Kristen DeBoer, of Crown Point, portrays lovelorn daughter Esther Smith with John Peluso, of Valparaiso, playing her paramour and next door neighbor, John Truitt. Connie Colvin, of Merrillville, plays daughter Rose, who finds love with Warren Sheffield, played by Valparaiso's Scot McDonald.

Rounding out the Smith family in the production are Josh Eggleston, of Valparaiso, as son Lon; Zoe Yergler, of Kouts, as daughter Agnes; and Bella King, of Valparaiso, as youngest daughter, Tootie.

"The whole cast has worked exceptionally hard and they're committed to making sure they do an accurate job of entertaining the audience," Treasure said. "All of the numbers in the play that involve the Smith family are highlights in our show, because they're a great group of actors and actresses."

Treasure is directing "St. Louis" with Kathleen Dominiak, who also serves as the play's choreographer. The production of the musical marks the first directorial collaboration for the couple, who are engaged.

"When it comes to it, we make our (directorial) decisions together," Treasure said. "We work to communicate with each other, and that's been a very good thing -- it's an interesting way of jumping into our (upcoming) marriage headfirst. It's learning to work together not only as husband and wife once we get married, but also learning to work together as directors."

"Meet Me in St. Louis" is the final production of the Memorial Theatre Company's 2008 season. It kicks off its 2009 season with the musical "Ragtime," scheduled to open Feb. 13 at Memorial Opera House.