As the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse finishes up another season today, theater officials are calling the season the best ever.

MGR has extended its seasons in the past, but never to this degree, marketing associate Hilary Ford said Friday.

“We've had more sold-out shows, more patrons. This is our most successful season to date,” she said.

This season, as in the past, only the last show of the season could be extended because of the time frame between shows. Next year, there will be a few extra days between performances to allow for additional shows if demand warrants them.

“We can only fit in so many shows before we have to load in the next (one)” Ford said. “Due to the overwhelming success of all of the shows this year, we have built into the schedule where we can extend shows next year for up to four performances.”

Ford believes that the strong lineup of shows is one of the reasons for the big increase in attendance. Patrons tell their friends about their Merry-Go-Round experience, and the scale of the productions is impressive, she said. In addition, people are finding out what a deal it is to get Broadway-style theater at the Finger Lakes for an affordable price.

“The level of talent that our performers have is always first and foremost what the patrons leave the theater talking about,” she said. “People know that when they come to see the Merry-Go-Round, even if they don't like the play, they will always be impressed by the talent that is in the play.”

Ford found it difficult to choose the best show of the season because they were all very good, she said. Rather than having a theme, the Merry-Go-Round tries to go for a variety of shows to attract a wide-range audience.

“We pick the shows that we think our audience members are going to enjoy the most,” she said. “We like to have something for everyone.”

Ford's personal favorite this season was “Little Shop of Horrors,” she said. The set was beautiful, the lights were gorgeous, the puppets were custom-made for the production and the puppeteer, Mark Petrosino, and the voice of the plant, Michael James Leslie, were both from Broadway.

“That's pretty impressive when you think about it,” she said.

Although the figures for this year will not be available until a few days after tonight's final performance, Ford knows that this season has far surpassed the prior ones. The theater has seen an increase in single ticket sales, season tickets and group sales, she said.

The 2007 season wrapped up with a total seasonal attendance of 51,135 and gross receipts at $3,259,169.

Director of the Parks and Trails commission Gary Duckett said that the biggest thing the park has noticed is an increase in parking revenue, which would indicate an increase in attendance at the theater, he said.

“We're happy to have people coming to the park,” he said.

When the weather is nice, people will go to Emerson Park before the performance and walk around, he said. During intermission, patrons also come out and enjoy the beautiful view.

Ford is looking forward to the 2009 season. The lineup includes “The Full Monty,” “High School Musical,” “No, No, Nanette” and more.

“Our goal is always to bring Broadway-caliber performances, both artistically and technically, to the Finger Lakes at an affordable price. My goal, as well as the theater's goal, is to keep that the main part of the mission,” Ford said. “Our goal for next year is continuing to bring our patrons exactly what they want to see and doing it at the highest level of quality.”

Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net