NEW Earswick Musicals will stage the York premiere of the musical comedy Meet Me In St Louis at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, from April 27 to 30.

The story revolves around a year in the life of the Smith family in St Louis at the turn of the 20th century, when everything seems to be going well, until Mr Smith, played by Steve Tearle, comes home and tells Mrs Smith (Perri Barley) that they are moving to New York. From this moment, the Smiths' world is turned upside down.

The central plot revolves around the Smith children, Lon, Rose and Esther. The roles go to Kit Stroud, a new face to New Earswick Musicals, Aileen Staples and another NEM newcomer, Anna Keets, in the part famously portrayed by Judy Garland in the 1944 movie.

"The show has some amazing parts," says Steve Tearle. "Grandpa Smith, played by Richard Rodgers, is the voice of reason whom adores his grandchildren. Katie the cook, performed by Sandra Rowen, will keep you laughing with her wit and social satire, while James O'Neill will be Mr Neely, the postman, and Lucille will be played by Bethanie Ann Middleton."

The stage show is "just like the movie", suggests Steve. "There's a beautiful coming-of-age love story between Esther and the boy next door, John Truitt, played by another new face to the New Earswick team, Martin Lay, and also her sister Rose and Warren, played by Mark Simmons," he says. "Trials and thrills happen as we watch the year unfold in their lives.

"On top of that, Meet Me In St Louis has some amazing show-stopping songs: The Trolley Song, The Boy Next Door, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas and, of course, the famous title song."

The NEM show will be directed by Ann McCreadie, working in tandem with musical director Barbara Chen. "It promises to be an amazing piece of theatre with a cast age range from seven to 60," says Steve. "Everyone will have you entertained and, by using the latest techniques in projection, this will ensure that we capture the fun and pace of the movie. Some amazing special effects will add to the excitement and Meet Me In St Louis will certainly be a great night at the theatre."

Tickets for the 7.30pm evening shows and 2.30pm Saturday matinee are on sale with no booking charge on 0775 926 0852 or at ticketsource.co.uk