Dracula (2024)

Music by Frank Wildhorn
Book & Lyrics by Don Black
and Christopher Hampton
based on the novel by Bram Stoker
May 30- June 22, 2024
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Count Dracula – Cole Gutmann
Mina Murray – Brittany Kohl
Lucy Westenra – Vanessa Simpson
Dr. Abraham Van Helsing – Kent Coffel
R.M. Renfield – Rafael DaCosta
Dr. Jack Seward – J.D. Pounds
Joanathan Harker – Ian McCreary
Arthur Holmwood – Alex Vito Fuegner
Quincey Morris –Christopher Strawhun
Weird Sisters –Ann Hier Brown, Chelsie Johnston, Sarah Lueken

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Dr. Jenna Lee Moore
Violin – Mallory Golden
Brass/Bass – John Gerdes
Percussion – Clancy Newell
Cello – Paul Rueschhoff
Guitar – Buddy Shumaker
Reeds – Mary Wiley

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Tony L. Marr Jr.
Music Director – Dr. Jenna Lee Moore
Stage Manager – Tawaine Noah
Technical Director – Matt Stuckel
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Scenic Designer – Dr. Rob Lippert
Lighting Designer – Matt Stuckel
Costume Designer – Zachary Thompson
Props Master – Chris Moore
Scenic Crew – Richard Brown, Patrick Donnigan Emily Fluchel, Mallory Golden, Bill Stuckel
Scenic Artists – Mallory Golden, Matt Stuckel
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“New Line Theatre’s production of Dracula, the Musical, from 2001, looks and sounds great. . . . And now in St. Louis, 20 years after that, this new Dracula is irresistible in overcoming women, and anyone else, if you ask me, in a local premiere.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway

“A marvelously entertaining show. . . the production is highly entertaining and a gorgeously sensual gothic tale suitable for most audiences.” – Tina Farmer, The Riverfront Times

“New Line’s production of Dracula is an entertaining guilty pleasure thanks to the significant chemistry among the principal actors, the vocal performances of the cast, and the macabre choreography, set and lighting design. . . New Line Theatre’s musical production of Dracula would especially appeal to fans of the horror genre. It is more mysterious than scary with the central plot focusing on Dracula’s obsession with Mina and her inability to resist the handsome monster. It’s the performances, charisma, and chemistry that make this production sing.” – James Lindhorst, KDHX

“While there are no fangs or blood in New Line Theatre’s production of Dracula that doesn’t mean the show has no bite. It has. Finishing the company’s 32nd season, this alluring redux of Bram Stoker’s literary classic emerges from the shadows to give audiences an emotionally charged musical with plenty of chilling moments. . . New Line Theatre’s emotional reimagining works because it prioritizes the humanity of Dracula and his lost souls over splattered bodies and gory clichés. Light on special effects but heavy on heartache, Dracula is the perfect amalgam of tightly-paced drama and Gothic horror. As a result, this tale of a vampire’s lust and loss captivates audiences with an evocative production filled with top-notch performances and excellent singing.” – Rob Levy, BroadwayWorld

“While vampires are still not my favorite, I can’t deny that this is a well-done show, with excellent production values, a striking aesthetic, a great cast, and the excellent singing I’ve come to associate with New Line. I imagine that anyone who loves classic horror tales, and particularly vampire tales, will love this show. . . The look, sound, and atmosphere of this production is top-notch, especially considering the relatively small space at The Marcelle.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

“The children of the night are making some lusty music in the musical Dracula, a different take on the gothic horror classic whose folklore has become a pop culture staple. Lush voices soar in a foreboding dark shadow setting, with New Line Theatre putting their own stamp on a stripped down, impressionistic version of Frank Wildhorn’s much-maligned 2004 Broadway musical that has since been heavily revised and became a hit overseas. . . this very dramatic musical version combines alluring romance with an unsettling thriller narrative.” – Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

A few years ago, I was writing a collection of “weird fiction,” and I was studying the horror genre like I never had before. One of the biggest revelations for me was an idea I had never contemplated: Horror is always about a violation of the body; terror is fear of the unknown. My writing project, Night of the Living Show Tunes, turned out to be fun for me partly because I had to learn so much more about this genre.

I’ve always loved horror movies, novels, short stories. I even wrote my own vampire musical in 1995, In the Blood. I’ve seen almost every film version of Dracula. I think the ones from Hammer Studios are the best. Two of my favorite novels are The Dracula Tape, which tells Dracula’s side of the story; and Anno Dracula, in which Dracula ends up as the Queen’s royal consort, with his own secret vampire police force.

But most of the stage musicals that deal with Dracula or other vampires tend to be comic – intentionally or not. So when I was introduced to Frank Wildhorn’s pop opera, I was highly skeptical. But as I listened to the score and moved through the story inside Wildhorn’s emotionally epic music, I realized why this was different and really interesting – and why it works as a musical.

This version of Dracula is not exactly a horror story. It’s not about scaring you. It’s a romantic thriller. There’s still plenty of violation – including violation of the heart. They say there’s a thin line between love and hate. The same is true of horror and romance. Think about it.

In writing Sweeney Todd in the late 1970s, Stephen Sondheim realized that film thrillers employ almost continuous music – and only occasional silence – to create suspense, mood, atmosphere. So he did the same thing with his Sweeney score, and then again later with Passion.

Wildhorn and his cowriters wisely followed Sondheim’s lead. In Dracula, the characters’ planning, discussing, investigating, is always in the form of spoken dialogue. The moments of emotion are what Wildhorn sets to music because he knows, particularly as a writer more in the pop tradition than the stage tradition, that emotions are what music does best.

When asked for a piece of advice, Wildhorn once said, “Write from the heart. No one really cares how clever you are. We want to be touched. We want to be moved.” So not surprisingly, this isn’t a gross-out Dracula; this is a deeply emotional, tragic love story. This time, Dracula and Mina are (sort of) star-crossed lovers, and the story’s “heroes” are the lovers’ adversaries. Without changing much at all from the novel, Wildhorn’s musical offers us the story we all know, but from a perspective we’ve never considered.

Enjoy the ride!

Sweet Potato Queens (2024)

Music by Melissa Manchester
Lyrics by Sharon Vaughn
Book by Rupert Holmes
Based on the bestselling books of
Jill Connor Browne
Original Orchestrations by John McDaniel

Feb. 29-Mar. 23, 2024
Marcelle Theatre
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Jill Conner Browne – Talichia Noah
Floozie Tammy – Mara Bollini
Too Much Tammy – Ann Hier Brown
Flower Tammy – Victoria Pines
Mama – Bethany Barr
Daddy – Kent Coffel
George – Aarin Kamphoefner
Tyler – Jeffrey M. Wright

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Dr. Tim Amukele
Keyboard 2 – Nikki Ervin
Electric Bass – John Gerdes
Percussion – Clancy Newell
Electric Guitar – Adam Rugo
Reeds – Brandon Thompson

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Tony L. Marr Jr.
Choreographer – Tony L. Marr Jr.
Music Director – Dr. Tim Amukele
Stage Manager – Emily Floyd
Technical Director – Matt Stuckel
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Scenic Designer – Dr. Rob Lippert
Costume Designer – Zachary Phelps
Lighting Designer – Matt Stuckel
Props Master – Emily Floyd
Master Electrician – Stephanie Robinson
Scenic Crew – Corey Anderson, Richard Brown, Stephanie Robinson, Bill Stuckel
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“It’s a heartfelt and occasionally bawdy affair. But you could still bring your mother. . . A local premiere of an emotionally detailed and authentically acted show based on the best-selling novels of Jill Conner Browne. . . On balance, I think I’d rather see a charmingly traditional show like this, done by a vehemently non-traditional group like New Line Theatre, instead of the other way around. Scott Miller’s ensemble always gets the serious psychological ephemera fully mapped out. . . A little genuine love and good cheer, from a typically acerbic company like this, goes a long way.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway

“Feel-good musicals have the power to lift us up even when the characters and situations are far from our own experience. Such is the case with Sweet Potato Queens from New Line Theatre. The often laugh-out-loud funny musical about self-acceptance and finding your place in the world is a fluffily tenderhearted, uplifting show that thoroughly entertains. . . Too often, stories of empowerment, particularly women’s empowerment, can come across as preachy, judgmental or unattainable. Fortunately, Sweet Potato Queens, directed by Scott Miller and Tony L Marr Jr. and based on the book series by Jill Conner Browne, takes a different, more relatable path that’s satisfying and light. The characters are realistically human and imperfect; their determination to thrive is uplifting and emotionally connected, reflecting the universal desire to be loved for being you. If you’re in need of a good time that’s guaranteed to perk up your spirits, you should make plans to join the SPQ parade.” – Tina Farmer, The Riverfront Times

“New Line Theatre’s new production sparkles with warmth, humor and an easy-going approach to the accessible score, a winning combination for the troupe’s appreciative audiences. . . There’s a sweetness at the core of Sweet Potato Queens as Talichia Noah tells Jill Connor Browne’s rags-to-riches story in most agreeable fashion. Come on down and set a spell with these good-natured folks. You’ll be glad you did.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“A sweet-and-salty nutty mixed bag of brash gal pals and scummy exes who didn’t deserve them, Sweet Potato Queens sets a table for women to be proud and live out loud, no matter their lot in life. . . While the uninitiated may think the spotlighted women fall into Southern stereotypes, it is wise not to go there, for do not underestimate their wit, smarts, and resilience. These are not tsk-tsk yokels from another branch of the family tree or plucked fresh from the cabbage patch to be laughed at – you will laugh with them because they find out who they are and are OK with that.” – Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL

“Sweet Potato Queens seems at once like an ideal show for New Line Theatre as well as being a bit of a surprise. . . Overall, Sweet Potato Queens at New Line is an entertaining, energetic, in-your-face ode to female empowerment. . . at New Line, the enthusiastic performers put their all into this tale full of over-the-top, occasionally raunchy Southern humor with a few well-placed moments of poignancy along the way. It’s an enjoyable evening with a memorable cast.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

One of New Line’s loyal subscribers, Debra Lueckerath, saw this musical in Metairie, Louisiana, and she brought me the show’s program, adamantly urging me to check it out. She was convinced this was a perfect show for us. I looked at the program cover, saw the show’s title, and I confess I thought to myself, “Ugh. Chick show.”

For a while, the program just sat on my desk, glaring at me, but at some point I picked it up, looked through it, then googled “Sweet Potato Queens,” and holy shit! I found the official SPQ website and discovered the amazingly funny and wise Jill Conner Browne.

So I got the show’s script to read and the piano score to play through, and I fell in love with it all. It charmed me and made me laugh out loud, and yet it also has some very serious, human stuff running underneath the carnival. It’s real life, all of it, funny, sad, ridiculous.

These women have taken every traditional, cliched, superficial, social expectation and exploded it. Men can’t help but obsess over tits and ass? Fine, the Queens give them tits and ass so gigantic they’re frightening. Men think long hair equals femininity? Fine, the Queens will give them a ton of hair. Men forever sexualize women? Fine, the Queens will give them a sexuality so aggressive, it will make them run away crying.

It’s empowering because these women are choosing to be the object of our gaze; it’s an active role, not a passive one. And because it’s so aggressive, it both (sort of) gives men what they want but it also terrorizes (and mocks) them with the same. And Lordy, it is funny.

But it’s so much more than that.

These women have claimed all the oppressive feminine stereo-types in our culture as their own. All of them. They expose these stereotypes as silly, ridiculous, grotesque. And at the same time, this satiric exaggeration of the female body also subtly forces men (and women) to accept normal female bodies as curvy, and women themselves as sexual. But they also don’t let us forget that those social forces are oppressive.

The outrageousness, the aggressiveness, the explicitness, the brilliant audaciousness of it all (dare I call it a mythology?), slyly disguises the serious underbelly of the SPQs – a simple demand for respect and self-determination. All the craziness is the Spoonful of Sugar that Helps the Medicine Go Down. But the Queens’ wacky escapades aren’t an escape from the real world; they are armor against it.

Sweet Potato Queens is an open invitation to all of us to stop taking the bullshit, to learn to Live Out Loud, and to each find our own particular path. Jill always reminds us to Be Particular!

We need that lesson right now as much as ever.

Jesus & Johnny Appleweed's Holy Rollin' Family Christmas (2023)

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Scott Miller
Original Orchestrations by John Gerdes

Nov. 30-Dec. 16, 2023
Grandel Theatre
Show Webpage
Production Photos
Purchase the vocal selections here.
Purchase the script here.
Purchase merch here.
Ask about production rights!

THE CAST
Harry Goodson – Terrell Thompson
Bess Goodson/Johnny Appleweed – Kay Love
Tammy Goodson/Sandra Dee – Marlee Wenski
Chip Goodson/Jesus – Tony L. Marr Jr./Shane Rudolph
Uncle Hugh/Gerry – Tawaine Noah
Carolers – Robert Doyle, Matt Hill, Stephanie Merritt, Lauren Tenenbaum

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Mallory Golden
Bass – John Gerdes
Reeds – Joseph Hendricks
Reeds – Alex Macke
Percussion – Brad Martin
Guitar – Adam Rugo

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Tony L. Marr Jr.
Choreographer – Tony L. Marr Jr.
Music Director – Mallory Golden
Stage Manager – Emily Floyd
Technical Director – Matt Stuckel
Costume Designer – Lauren Smith Bearden
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Scenic Designer – Dr. Rob Lippert
Lighting Designer – Matt Stuckel
Props Master –Erin Goodenough
Master Electrician – Stephanie Robinson
Scenic Crew – Corey Anderson, Richard Brown, Stephanie Robinson, Bill Stuckel
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“Christmas gets a wacky, if pungent, new look in Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas, a musical comedy having its world premiere at The Grandel Theatre in St. Louis. New Line Theatre producer and co-director Scott Miller wrote the very pro-marijuana show, with musical orchestrations by John Gerdes. And it features an impressive range of Mr. Miller’s original songs, many of which fall into a ravishing ‘cool jazz’ style. Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s ... is a story that manages to feel revolutionary, with some arch, comical family conflict. But it also gets us surprisingly high on the Christmas spirit, without a trace of second-hand smoke. . . and when the power of the singing matches the subtle ‘50s jazziness of the music, the show floats giddily along. . . It’s funny that you can take this much-less traveled road to guaranteed Christmas cheer, and get there all the same. The original music is very impressive, blending with sometimes pointed satire for a snarky (and oddly charming) holiday event.” – Richard Green, Talkin’ Broadway

“What if Seth Rogen, Charles Dickens, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cheech and Chong, Christopher Hitchens, Hunter S. Thompson, and John Waters decided to have a baby? If you placed their DNA in some sort of invitro Vitamix and hit the frappe button, one of the resulting octuplets might become Scott Miller, artistic director of New Line Theatre, who goes on to write the book, music and lyrics for the mildly subversive Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas. . . a welcome – if salty – palate cleanser from some of the holiday season’s other truly family-friendly options.” – CB Adams, KDHX

“A hilarious trip. Holiday revelers and partiers looking to take their celebrations to new highs should plan to pop into The Grandel Theatre for New Line Theatre’s original holiday musical spoof Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas. . . . The show is not for everyone, and is definitely not for children. However, it’s an upbeat musical spoof with a plethora of pointed satire underneath the holiday haze. For those looking for abundant laughs that gently but consistently poke fun at the season and social norms, Jesus and Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas is a great choice.” – Tina Farmer, The Riverfront Times

“New Line Theatre’s new musical, Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas, is a pot-laced Dickensian-Cheech & Chong-esque Holiday spoof that is reminiscent of when Saturday Night Live was in its heyday and was actually funny. . . It’s an irreverent musical comedy chock-full of laughs. While most of the jokes are related to changing times 7-decades ago, you don’t have to be a baby boomer to understand and appreciate Miller’s hysterical script. If you’re looking for funny, adult-themed holiday entertainment that is a complete diversion from more traditional holiday fare, Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas will certainly add some laughs to your holiday entertainment.” – James Lindhorst BroadwayWorld

“Founder and artistic director Scott Miller reprises his Johnny Appleweed character in the world premiere of his new musical romp, Jesus & Johnny Appleweed's Holy Rollin' Family Christmas, a fun-filled lampoon of Christianity, middle America and the straight-laced culture of the 1950s. . . This isn’t your family’s traditional Christmas story, if your family is that 'heteronormative' type described in the show’s second number. It’s likely however to become a New Line favorite.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“At first glance, the daffy Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas takes us back to the fuddy-duddy ‘50s, with the on-stage stylings of TV sitcom land when dads ruled the roost and moms vacuumed wearing pearls. But it’s far more subversive than that. . . As a tongue-in-cheek response to the War on Drugs and the Culture Wars, writer Scott Miller uses clever cultural references to make it clear how the bygone era, complete with hearty laugh-track type guffaws, was a white-bread wonderland where a middle-class suburban family has blinders on regarding diversity, inclusion, and sexual orientation. . . this resembles the audacious dark comedy material that John Waters and Charles Busch specialize in.” – Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL

“New Line is a theatre company that’s not afraid of taking risks. They’ve staged some excellent, smaller-scaled productions of musicals from the well-known to the obscure, and occasionally, like with their latest production, original works. Their latest production, written and co-directed by New Line’s artistic director Scott Miller, is a holiday show with a twist. . . Jesus & Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas isn’t a perfect show, but it’s new and it has a good deal of potential. The cast members seem to be enjoying themselves a great deal, and there are some memorable moments and an excellent sense of theme. If you like crass humor, and especially stoner jokes, this show should be a fun ‘alternative’ holiday production.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

AUTHOR'S NOTES

I was sitting on my couch, stoned out of my mind and watching Law and Order. I can watch the entire franchise over and over because I always watch it stoned and so I never remember any of the episodes when I see them again. I was in deeply contented couch-lock, as Jesus passed me the pipe and lighter and said, “Hey, why don’t you write another musical about us? It’s been seventeen years since Johnny Appleweed!”

I took a drag and passed it to Johnny who was now neck deep in the Wild West of profound stoner thought. “Have you guys ever seen Fantastic Voyage, where they put the heroes in a submarine and shrink them down really small and inject them into this guy’s body to fix some shit in his brain? We should totally do a stoner musical version of that!”

Johnny’s sentences are often really long.

We were all pretty sure we’d seen Fantastic Voyage but none of us could remember. The pipe returned to Jesus for a re-load and he said, “Well, don’t forget at the end of Johnny Appleweed, I ran for President. There’s your sequel!”

As I accepted the holy bud, it hit me. “Wait. Even better! I should write a stoner Christmas musical!”

“Holy shit!” Jesus smiled. “How did I not think of that?” And we all laughed. For a long time. A really, really long time, until none of us could remember what we were laughing at, so we loaded another bowl and sat in silence for a while.

Johnny said, “How ‘bout A Reefer Madness Christmas Carol?”

Jesus nodded, then, “A Reefer Madness Christmas is better.”

As I sparked up the bud, I said, “No, you guys, we can’t use that title. Those dicks who wrote Reefer Madness the Musical have trademarked the phrase ‘Reefer Madness’.”

Jesus exhaled a great big cloud of smoke and stoner-smiled. “Ah, fuck ‘em!” And we all laughed again.

My stoner gears were turning now. “A Holy Rollin’ Christmas.”

Johnny took the pipe and nodded. “But maybe it should be Johnny Appleweed and Jesus’ Holy Rollin’ Christmas. Since it’s a sequel.”

Jesus agreed. “Yeah, but do we really want to deal with that apostrophe after Jesus, and whether or not there’s another S after that, am I right? So maybe it should be Jesus and Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Christmas. You know, to keep it simple.”

Robert opened his eyes. “Put family in the title. Everything’s funnier with family.”

I tried it out loud, “Jesus and Johnny Appleweed’s Holy Rollin’ Family Christmas. Yeah, that is funnier.” We all agreed and loaded another bowl. After a few minutes, Robert started laughing and then we all did and we didn’t stop for about an hour.

Law and Order is awesome.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2023)

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart
Based on the Roman comedies of Plautus

June 1-24, 2023
Marcelle Theater
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Pseudolus – Kent Coffel
Hysterium – Chris Moore
Hero – Ian McCreary
Philia – Sarah Wilkinson
Senex – Robert Doyle
Domina – Ann Hier Brown
Marcus Lycus – Jason Blackburn
Miles Gloriosus – Danny Brown
Erronius – Gary Cox
Proteans – Nathan Hakenewerth, Brittany Kohl Hester, Aarin Kamphoefner

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Matthew Kauzlarich
Reeds – Kelly Austermann
Trumpet – Ron Foster
Brass – John Gerdes
Trombone – Adam Levin
Percussion – Clancy Newell

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Chris Kernan
Choreographer – Chris Kernan
Music Director – Joe Simpson
Stage Manager – Chelsie Johnston
Technical Director – Matt Stuckel
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Costume Designer – Eileen Engel
Scenic Designer – Dr. Rob Lippert
Lighting Designer – Matt Stuckel
Props Master – Erin Goodenough
Scenic Artists – Mallory Golden, Matt Stuckel
Scenic Crew – Richard Brown, Patrick Donnigan, Bill Stuckel
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“Producer and co-director Scott Miller embraces the later, greater Sondheim, in spite of the chronology, to reimagine a new Forum. And as if by magic, or science, a musical lineage from shows like Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods seems to lead us backward into Forum – almost as if Mr. Miller and co-director/choreographer Chris Kernan were predicting all the great plays to come, from an earlier, less highly regarded musical. Mr. Miller once again finds the full clarity and complexity of Sondheim’s music and musings, and that, as they say, turns out to be the ‘star’ of our show in this particular case. . . Their efforts pay off in the immaculate clarity of music and lyrics, in songs we can suddenly recognize as true to the overall legacy.” – Richard Green, Talkin’ Broadway

“Since 1991 Scott Miller’s New Line Theatre has been pumping out brilliant productions of edgy, mostly very modern musicals. Occasionally they’ll revive a grand old classic (e.g., Anything Goes, from the ‘30s). But now they’re going way, way back. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum premiered in 1962. And it reaches back twenty-two centuries! Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart picked juicy plot devices and characters from the Roman playwright Plautus. Plautus himself stole from what the earlier Greeks called ‘New Comedy’. To us it looks a lot like the old Borscht Belt and Vaudeville comic sketches. This is truly time-tested comedy. And at New Line it’s still dazzlingly funny! . . . The entire cast is strong. . . It’s another bright success for directors Scott Miller and Chris Kernan.” – Steve Callahan, KDHX

“New Line Theatre’s production A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum succeeds due to Scott Miller’s directorial vision and the comedic timing of Miller’s strong cast. There are plenty of laughs in the First Act, but the second act builds to a crescendo of complete hilarity. . . downright madcap. . . keeps the audience laughing nonstop . . . big laughs throughout the show.” – James Lindhorst, BroadwayWorld

Co-director Scott Miller, founder and artistic director of New Line Theatre, does justice to his musical muse, Stephen Sondheim, with this well-paced, often hilarious and downright entertaining presentation of one of Sondheim’s earliest successes. . . New Line’s two-act, two-hour version delivers steady doses of comedy, with liberal sprinklings of delightful tunes. . . ‘Tragedy tomorrow, comedy tonight’ sing Pseudolus and company at the show’s opening, and comedy they deliver with hearty flair.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“It does have its dated elements, but at New Line, as usual, there are some new perspectives that emerge. For the most part, this is a show that revels in its humor, and at New Line, the focus is on the strong singing of Stephen Sondheim’s memorable score. . . New Line has become adept at scaling shows down for its venue, as well as bringing out nuances in stories that bigger productions can gloss over. . . New Line’s production is a lot of fun, with its small scale again working in its favor. It’s an enjoyable production especially for fans of Stephen Sondheim, goofy comedy, and great singing.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

“Even with his reduced forces, Miller has made the climactic chase scene as funny and convincing as I have ever seen it. I don’t know a musical comedy that has more wild and crazy joy in it than this one. . . Thanks to the work of all New Line’s artists of the theatre, I once again had a lovely time at A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” – Bob Wilcox, Two on the Aisle

“In New Line’s new iteration, solid performances, a cartoonishly fitting stage design and exaggerated direction by Scott Miller embrace the sometimes cheesy, sometimes cheeky script and score, ensuring the show is entertaining in a nostalgic way. . . Thankfully, the jovial tone, over-the-top characterizations, dad jokes and much of the vaudevillian humor still work, ensuring New Line Theatre’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a recognizable nod to the original show.” – Tina Famer, The Riverfront Times

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

The Second Century BC Roman playwright Plautus wrote dozens of farces, skewering politics and politicians, the cultural elite, and other public figures. His satire was razor sharp, so when Burt Shevelove thought of combining some of Plautus’ plays and adapting them for the musical stage, that new adaptation would inevitably be just as ruthlessly funny, particularly coming as it did, right at the pivot point between the cultural conformity of the 1950s and the explosions and explorations of the 1960s.

In his book Roman Laughter: The Comedy of Plautus, Erich Segal writes, “Of all the Greek and Roman playwrights, Titus Maccius Plautus is the least admired and the most imitated.” Plautus wrote more plays than Euripides, almost twice as many as Aristophanes, and three times as many as Terrence. Greek literature professor Moses Hadas wrote about Plautus’ characters, “They are like characters in Rabelais, not Cervantes; like the Marx Brothers, not Charlie Chaplin.”

As Plautus mocked the people and culture of his time, Shevelove and his eventual collaborators would likewise mock the culture of the early 1960s. Once adapted and musicalized, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum would be a stinging satire of the way American culture views women. Right there at the beginning of the Sexual Revolution, the show revealed American’s complex relationship with sexuality, both seeking sex and fearing it at the same time. Notably, one of Plautus’ favorite plot elements was the damnosa libido, the dangerous sex drive.

Co-bookwriter Larry Gelbart later said, “What treasure we found in his plays! There they were, running wild, appearing for the first time anywhere: the wily slave, the senile skirt-chaser, the henpecked husband, the domineering matron, the courtesan with the hair and heart of gold; page after page of mistaken identity and double meanings.”

Some of the critics really understood the Forum experiment underway. The music critic for The New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, wrote about Stephen Sondheim’s score, “For all the talk of Forum harking back to the days of good, clean farce; theatrically, it is an experimental work. It completely subverts the heritage of what is called the book show, handed down by Rodgers and Hammerstein, where the songs emerge from the plot. In Forum, the songs purposely interrupt the farcical plot, giving the audience a needed break from the madcap hysterics.”

Gelbart said, “Our goal was to construct a show based on Plautus, who, borrowing from the Greeks, taught amphitheater audiences up and down the original Caesar’s circuit to laugh for the first time at character and situation instead of those old staples they found so amusing – bloodshed and tragedy.”

Nine (2023)

Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston
Book by Arhtur Kopit
Based on the film 8½ written & directed by Federico Fellini
Adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti

March 2-25, 2023
Marcelle Theater
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Guido Contini – Cole Gutmann
Luisa Contini – Lisa Karpowicz
Carla Albanese – Sarah Wilkinson
Claudia Nardi – Ann Hier Brown
Liliane LaFleur – Kimmie Kidd-Booker
Diana – Kat Bailey
Mama Maddelena / Annabella – Kathleen Dwyer
Juliette / Voice of Little Guido – Brittany Kohl Hester
Renata – Chelsie Johnston
Our Lady of the Spa – Kay Love
Saraghina – Sarah Lueken
Guido’s Mother – Stephanie Merritt
Lina Darling / Olga – Julia Monsey
Stephanie Necrophorus – Gillian Pieper

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Jenna Lee Moore
Cello – Tyler Davis
Brass – John Gerdes
Reeds – Lea Gerdes
Violin – Mallory Golden
Reeds – Joseph Hendricks
Percussion – Clancy Newell

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Chris Kernan
Music Director – Dr. Jenna Lee Moore
Choreographer – Chris Kernan
Stage Manager – Cat Draney
Dance Captain – Stephanie Merritt
Technical Director – Matt Stuckel
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Scenic Designer – Rob Lippert
Costume Designer – Sarah Porter
Lighting Designer – Matt Stuckel
Props Master – Erin Goodenough
Scenic Crew – Richard Brown, Nick Brunstein, Patrick Donnigan, Bill Stuckel
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“A powerful journey of self-exploration and introspection through the mind of an artist. . . The entire cast is truly fantastic. . . Nine is a fascinating look inside the mind of an artist, and both the inspiration and demons they face throughout their career. Filled with wonderful melodies and terrific performances, it’s an entertaining introspective that will keep audiences engaged from start to finish. You don’t have to see the original film to enjoy it, but chances are that you will want to by the end of the show.” – Kevin Brackett, ReviewSTL

“A spare but beautifully done stage musical revival in St. Louis, directed by New Line Theatre’s brainiac founder Scott Miller and energetic co-director and choreographer Chris Kernan. As you’d expect from New Line, it’s all lavishly sung, with a Cinemascopic eye for the period style, at the Marcelle Theatre. Sly and seductive, with all the psychological complexity you could ask for, this Nine is a lot more fun than I’d ever figured on. . . it’s flirty and confident and fun. In the beginning of Nine, Guido is the maestro, conducting the women. But by the end of this smart, spirited musical, it’s pretty clear these women have turned the tables on him.” – Richard Green, Talkin’ Broadway

“Thankfully, New Line Theatre has now given me and others the chance to see this unusual, fascinating show, which is ideal for this theatre company, known for its bold choices and excellent production quality, and especially great singing. . . There is also some of the best, most intricate ensemble singing I have heard at New Line, and with this company, that’s saying something. . . it’s staged and sung so well as to make audiences want to pay attention, and to ponder the issues being dealt with here. There’s drama, occasionally raunchy humor, intensity, and reflection. As is frequent for New Line, it’s a production that is simultaneously simple and complex, bringing out the truth of the material through authentic, credible performances and thoughtful staging. It’s a fantastic production.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

“Nine is a neglected show even though it received the Tony Award for best musical in 1982 and another Tony in 2003 for best revival of a musical. It should be no surprise that the local company addressing the neglect is New Line Theatre. The show’s rarity is reason enough to see New Line’s production. An even better reason is the excellence of the score and the staging.” – Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle

“New Line Theatre has made the story its own. . . a vocally gorgeous evening of songs that explore the vagaries of love, attraction and imagination.” – Tina Farmer, The Riverfront Times

“The singing is stellar, the story is satisfying and the New Line Theatre production of Maury Yeston’s and Arthur Kopit’s musical Nine is charming and intriguing throughout. . . Yeston generously spreads the musical numbers to many members of the show’s cast. In the case of New Line’s production, that’s a positive, since directors Scott Miller and Chris Kernan have assembled a cast of performers who really know how to turn a tune.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“New Line’s production is passionate, compelling and enjoyable. Directors Scott Miller and Chris Kernan have assembled a female company of thirteen powerful female voices that meld magnificently and make this score come alive. . . New Line Theatre has again put together an overall performance that is entertaining and enjoyable. This production of Nine succeeds because of the quality performances of every member of the cast and their ability to deliver strong vocals.” – James Lindhorst, BroadwayWorld

“The crème de la crème of local female vocal talent displays why they have earned those reputations in a lusty version of Nine, an exotic Felliniesque musical being presented by New Line Theatre. . . New Line’s glamorous production has a cast of 13 females who are connected to celebrated director Guido Contini, a womanizer going through a midlife personal and professional crisis.” – Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

Federico Fellini's 1963 film 8½ is one of a handful of quirky, semi-fictional artistic autobiographies, by and about a genius. The others in that category are Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sunday in the Park with George; Stew’s musical Passing Strange; Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz; Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories; and in an ironic, smartass kinda way, also John Water’s Cecil B. Demented.

And in a manner that can only be called Felliniesque, the original film 8½ and its adaptations now form a wonderful kind of strange loop. The film was adapted for the musical stage in the early 1980s, retitled Nine, won tons of awards, and became an instant classic of musical theatre, originally directed, choreographed, and shaped by the great Tommy Tune. Then Rob Marshall adapted the musical for the screen. But Marshall made a film adaptation of both the original Fellini film and its stage adaptation. Marshall transformed the stage musical into a new Fellini film, as if Fellini himself were making a film version of the stage musical Nine.

I've been wanting to work on Nine since I first heard the thrilling cast recording in 1982. And I've always thought that it would be both a perfect New Line show and an incredible showcase for our incredibly talented and versatile local women actors. It turns out I’m right.

I remember the first time I saw 8½, it was like I had never really seen all that movies were capable of before that moment, and for the first time I saw how much more film could do than what we routinely get from Hollywood. I felt like Dorothy Gale emerging from the sepia and into Technicolor. I've watched the Fellini film several times over the years, and each time I find more richness in it – and more sly comedy. I love it so much that it moved me to start exploring other Fellini films, each one of them wondrous and mind-blowing, in all the best ways.

Fellini gave his film its title as a meta joke: his lead character (and avatar) is so blocked artistically that his story doesn’t even get a real title (its first working title was La Bella Confusione); it just gets a number. Fellini had already directed six full-length films and one short, and he had co-directed two films, so 8½ was number eight-and-a-half.

Both the film and stage musical tell the story of genius filmmaker Guido Contini (i.e., Fellini) going through a very painful midlife crisis, an artistic crisis, and a complete emotional collapse – and all presented as a wildly entertaining, surrealistic comic romp, all happening inside the mind of this troubled, brilliant, creative man. The challenge for Guido is to recognize his toxic behavior and his terrible treatment of the women in his life, all of which has been tolerated by those around him, and finally, at age forty, to Grow Up. It’s a journey we all have to take.

Guido’s is just more fun.

Something Rotten! (2022)

Music and Lyrics by Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick & John O'Farrell
Conceived by Karey Kirkpatrick & Wayne Kirkpatrick

Sept. 22 -Oct. 13, 2022
Marcelle Theater
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Nick Bottom – Chris Kernan
Nigel Bottom – Marshall Jennings
Bea Bottom – Carrie Wenos
Portia – Melissa Felps
Nostradamus – Jeffrey Izquierdo-Malon
Will Shakespeare – Clayton Humburg
Brother Jeremiah – Jason Blackburn
Shylock/Lord Clapham – Robert Doyle
Minstrel/Peter Quince – Chris Moore
Francis Flute – Mara Bollini
Robin Starveling – Kent Coffel
John Snug – Brittany Kohl Hester
Tom Snout – Ian McCreary
Helena/Psychic – Maggie Nold
Miranda/Astrologer – Alyssa Wolf

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Mallory Golden
Trumpet – Joe Akers
Guitar – Jack Catalanotto, Adam Rugo
Bass – John Gerdes
Reeds – Joe Hendricks
Percussion – Des Jones

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Director – Scott Miller
Music Director – Mallory Golden
Choreographer – Alyssa Wolf
Technical Director – Matt Stuckel
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Scenic Designer – Rob Lippert
Costume Designer – Sarah Porter
Lighting Designer – Matt Stuckel
Props Master – Todd Schaefer
Scenic Crew – Richard Brown, Nick Brunstein, Patrick Donnigan, Luca Pritchett
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“Something Rotten! gets a delightful regional premier at the Marcelle Theatre in St. Louis this month, under the ebullient direction of New Line Theatre founder Scott Miller. . . I felt like a changed man after two hours and fifteen minutes packed with silly laughter and beautifully sung tunes. Unexpectedly, a lot of Mr. Miller’s usual background players seize the spotlight this time, and the sense of discovery is doubled – it’s not just a new musical to me, but a chance to see entirely different leading men and women telling the tale with fresh wit and emotion. . . If there were a prescription for joy, it would come with this show in the bottle. . . I often fail to capture in words how beautiful the singing is at New Line Theatre, and once again it’s one glorious solo after another.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway

“The playwright’s the thing in New Lines Theatre’s high-energy and highly entertaining production of Something Rotten! . . . The show is always a good time and New Line’s captivating, fast-paced production doubles the pleasure. . . Director Scott Miller hits the bull’s eye with less over-the-top slapstick and more interconnected and relatable humor in this production. . . New Line Theatre’s smartly interpreted Something’s Rotten! puts the emphasis on the natural humor and empathy that lies in the relationships, old and new, at the center of the play. The approach works marvelously well in the intimate Marcelle theater. . . Well-directed, well-rehearsed performers ensure the many humorously familiar lines and references flow naturally, with just an eyebrow or two raised in confirmation. The show is great fun for all ages with catchy songs, likeable characters and plenty of laughs from clever, relatable humor.” – Tina Farmer, KDHX

“This production of Something Rotten! is terrific. New Line Theatre's production delivers a robust number of laughs from a script filled with nonsense musical theatre references. Director Scott Miller has taken a big, overblown musical and effectively shrunk the performance to a smaller stage with a simple set. . . The entire ensemble delivers exceptional vocals and animated performances. Everyone in this company is first rate. . . New Line’s production of Something Rotten! is an exceptional reimagination of this asset. It illustrates how a smartly written comedy, in the hands of the right director and technical theater professionals, can effectively make the transition to any size stage.” – James Lindhorst, BroadwayWorld

“No matter if it’s a big Broadway show or a promising tryout that flew under the radar, St. Louis audiences know they can expect great productions from New Line Theatre. In the case of Something Rotten!, they’ve taken the hit musical comedy and turned it into an intimate evening of song, dance, and lots of laughs. . . Something Rotten! is one of the funniest shows of all time. The premise alone is hilarious, with a book full of witty dialogue and clever anachronisms. And the songs are fantastic, with memorable numbers coming one after another. . . Director Scott Miller has another winner on his hands, as audiences get to see one of the funniest, cleverest, and more original musicals of the past decade.” – Kevin Brackett, ReviewSTL

“New Line’s terrific production increased my admiration for the 2015 hit Broadway musical. . . Miller’s encyclopedic knowledge and boundless love of musicals make him an ideal interpreter of Something Rotten! His insightful program notes draw attention to the show’s warning that the pursuit of commercial success can be at the expense of personal and artistic success. Also, Miller points out that Something Rotten! uses the traditional form of the musical comedy in a modern, self-referential way. Miller gets the metatheatrical humor and knows how to put it across to the audience. New Line’s cast is splendid.” – Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle

“Something Rotten! is a humdinger of a regional professional theater premiere from New Line Theatre. . . Fresh, funny, and frisky, the cast accepts their mission to have fun with the fluff, and the tight-knit ensemble is downright giddy frolicking in some of the most original show tunes in the past decade. . . Something Rotten! is a must-see comedic gem, a well-cast, well-staged show that’s a bright spot in local theater this fall.” – Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL

“New Line has proved over and over that they know how to take Broadway shows and find more substance while focusing on the characters, often by scaling down to fit their smaller company and performance space. Their latest production, Something Rotten! is another example of this concentrated approach, and for the most part, it’s a resounding success. With thoughtful direction and a great cast, and toned-down production values, this show succeeds in managing to find the heart of its story while maintaining the crackling humor and fun meta tone of the piece. . . It was big and flashy in its Broadway version, but director Scott Miller has impressively toned it down here, making it seem less derivative of the slapsticky tone of the works of Mel Brooks and Monty Python and more like a just as hilarious but also more character-focused story in its own right. With this toned-down approach, all the jokes still land, but the message and the heart ring even more true. . . Overall, Something Rotten! is a real treat. At New Line, it’s not big or flashy, but it looks great, and it distills the story down to its essential elements – music, comedy, truth, and heart. It’s a remarkable example of the idea that sometimes, less really is more.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

Sometimes, people think that because New Line produces only smart, socially and politically relevant, adult musical theatre, that we don’t do comedy. But we do a lot of comedy. As Aristophanes knew well, it’s much easier to deal with serious issues through comedy. It’s the “Spoonful of Sugar” theory. So though Something Rotten! is outrageously wacky and transgressive, it also deals with one of the most important questions in our society in the twenty-first century – what is success?

This story is all about defining commercial success, personal success, and artistic success – and realizing that they are not all the same thing, that they are in fact often in opposition. It’s the central conflict between our fictional brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom.

A few years back, I got to interview the real world Kirkpatrick brothers for my Stage Grok podcast when the show first came to the Fox on tour. They are two-thirds of the Something Rotten! writing team, along with John O’Farrell. They told me the idea of the show started with a wonderful What If that’s not only very funny, but unexpectedly resonant in a dozen different ways:

What if Shakespeare’s London operated like today’s Hollywood?

The extra insightful part of this juxtaposition is that Shakespeare’s theatre scene was a commercially competitive world, and Will made his living as a writer; so mashing up these two worlds reveals so much that the two share, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And we see that Bottom’s mistakes all come from chasing that false god of commercial success.

One thing I’ve realized about the show as we’ve worked – in so many ways, it’s a perfectly constructed 1950s musical comedy, but so meta. It uses the tools and devices and construction of old school musical comedy, but it also acknowledges and undermines all those things at the same time. It’s exactly the kind of show I invented the “neo musical comedy” label for, using all those tools inherited from George M. Cohan and George Abbott, but for very different agendas, social, political, artistic, satirical, etc. Something Rotten! is a meta-musical, a show that acknowledges in various ways that it’s a show, referencing not just the show’s story but the act of performing of it as well.

There is a whole smorgasbord of crazy, wild, smart, transgressive, meta-theatrical stuff in Something Rotten! Cynical but idealistic, smartass but big-hearted, steeped in musical comedy tradition and also happily dismantling it. 1595, but also 2022. This is my kind of ride.

Urinetown (2022)

Music and Lyrics by Mark Hollman
Book and Lyrics by Greg Kotis

June 2-25, 2022
Marcelle Theater
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Bobby Strong – Kevin Corpuz
Hope Cladwell – Melissa Felps, Grace Langford
Officer Lockstock – Kent Coffel
Little Sally – Jennelle Gilreath
Caldwell B. Cladwell – Todd Schaefer
Penelope Pennywise – Sarah Gene Dowling
Officer Barrel – Marshall Jennings
Mr. McQueen – Clayton Humburg, Chris Moore
Senator Fipp – Colin Dowd
Josephine Strong – Mara Bollini
Joseph Strong / Hot Blades Harry – Zachary Allen Farmer
Little Becky Two Shoes – Grace Langford, Jessica Winingham
Tiny Tom – Ian McCreary
Billy Boy Bill – Chris Moore
Robbie the Stockfish – Christopher Strawhun
Soupy Sue – Jessica Winingham

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Tim Clark
Reeds – Kelly Austermann
Trombone – Tom Hanson
Percussion – Clancy Newell
Bass – John Gerdes

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Chris Kernan
Music Director – Tim Clark
Choreographer – Chris Kernan
Scenic Designer – Todd Schaefer
Costume Designer – Sarah Porter
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Lighting Design – Kenneth Zinkl
Props Master – Kimi Short
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“Was there ever a show like Urinetown, showing off this month with a jazzy new gloss at New Line Theatre? It’s a fantasy of a nightmare of a concept of a dream. And it barrels right at you, at a hundred miles an hour. New Line founder Scott Miller co-directs, along with choreographer Chris Kernan, and the crazy audacity of it just flies out of them both, with an outstanding cast and a very fine band. . . This is one of New Line’s strongest shows, where the company’s whole three decades of gritty, can’t-turn-away entertainments come to hard-driving, satirical fruition.” – Richard Green, Talkin Broadway

“New Line Theatre concludes its 30th-anniversary season with a boisterous, energetic presentation of Urinetown, still a witty and scathing satire on much that’s wrong with society more than twenty years after its Off-Broadway debut. . . With the declining state of politics today, Urinetown is as prescient as ever. This is not heavy-handed satire, though. Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann and their characters, Officer Lockstock and Little Sally, wink and nod at the audience directly throughout its two witty acts and two hours of smoothly paced running time in this version directed by Scott Miller and Chris Kernan.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“Urinetown is smart, sassy, and relentlessly metatheatrical – that is, it calls attention to the fact that it is theater piece. These qualities put the musical in the wheelhouse of New Line Theatre, whose current staging of Urinetown is a thorough delight. . . Under codirectors Scott Miller and Chris Kernan, the splendid New Line cast displays a sure grip on the style required to bring out the cheeky spirit of the book by Greg Kotis and the lyrics by Kotis and Mark Hollmann, who wrote the music.” – Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle

“Urinetown is the meta, satirical musical we need right now. . . Right from the start, it’s clear that we are in for something special. Conventional musical rules are thrown out the window, and the show’s self-awareness leads to a fun and unique experience throughout the show. . . Urinetown is packed full of funny moments and memorable musical numbers, while at the same time begging the audience to think about how close some of the absurdity resembles the current state of the world. A biting satire and social commentary that never ceases to entertain, the show is non-stop fun that also seems more important than ever.” – Kevin Brackett, Review STL

“In the capable hands of directors Scott Miller and Chris Kernan, the talented cast of Urinetown gives audiences an exceptional and witty production that resonates with uncomfortable truth. . . Urinetown is a delightful and bouncy bummer of a comic musical. Poppy songs, potty humor, and funny double takes help deliver serious concerns about global warming as well as corporate greed and political corruption. Strong performances, pointed direction and an abundance of comedy ensure New Line Theatre succeeds in giving audiences an entertaining show with a thought-provoking edge.” – Tina Farmer, KDHX

“If Urinetown isn’t the best show that Scott Miller’s New Line Theatre has ever produced, the distinction is too fine to matter. This show – brainy, incisive, and so funny that it makes you choose between laughing and breathing – stands at the very pinnacle of New Line’s achievements. . . About the laughing and breathing thing – that’s no exaggeration. Should you hold your breath to make sure you hear the next hilarious line? Or should you just give in and laugh your head off? Both approaches have their advantages. Personally, I think it’s simplest to go to see it twice. . . This is wonderful grist for our Miller. With its neon political message and its unabashed love for the art of musical theater, Urinetown has in Miller a director whose own sensibility is perfectly in tune with the show’s material. It’s a love match.” – Judy Newmark, All the World’s a Stage

“Zeitgeist, meet Urinetown. In this Twilight Zone reality we seem to live in now in the 21st century, the subversive Urinetown the musical has never seemed timelier. Or funnier. Or scarier. What once was merely laugh-out-loud outrageous 20 years ago has morphed into a gasp-filled hit-nail-on-head satire where sleazebag politicians are even slimier, greedy corporate bastards are more cruel, ecological disaster seems more imminent and cries of revolution are not far-fetched but absolutely necessary. . . This cast has the vocal chops to entertain in lively fashion, and with nimble comic timing, hits the sweet spot between exaggerated naivete and cheeky irreverence. . . Co-directors Scott Miller and Chris Kernan’s fresh take goes darker, which suits the capricious winds of an ever-evolving global pandemic that we have lived through for 27 months. Not to mention clinging to a democracy with fascist and authoritarian threats very much present. And hello, global warming.” – Lynn Venhaus, Pop Life STL

“It’s a dark comedy and a sharp satire, and at New Line, it’s a memorable experience with an especially strong cast, insightful direction, and a striking aesthetic. . . It’s a strong ensemble all around, with loads of cynical energy and strong vocals. There’s also excellent stylized choreography by Chris Kernan. This is a demanding show in terms of style, pacing, and overall theming, and all that is done remarkably well at New Line, under the direction of Scott Miller and Kernan. . . At New Line, Urinetown challenges, provokes, and ultimately entertains with a superb cast of local actors and singers. It may not be a happy musical, but it’s certainly a memorable one.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

When Urinetown opened on Broadway in 2001, it broke the musical comedy. In a good way. In a perverse way, it was the most honest musical to be written in decades.

The evil musical theatre geniuses Greg Kotis and Mark Hollmann (also creators of the amazing Yeast Nation) took the long-perfected machinery of the American musical comedy, passed down to us from George M. Cohan through George Abbott, and they threw several big wrenches into that machine, pulled out some of its gears, smeared peanut butter on a few of the belts.

Even the weirder experiments of the past never broke it. They may have used that machinery for subversive and/or outrageous purposes (Little Shop, anyone?), and in the case of Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along, he ran the machine backwards. But everybody always kept the machine running.

Kotis and Hollmann broke it. In a good way. And in the process, they helped birth the neo musical comedy, shows that uses the tools and conventions of old-school musical comedy for darker, more political, more cynical purposes.

The opening number of Urinetown violates every rule of musical theatre openings – except for one, maybe the most important, Sondheim's Ten Minute Rule, which requires laying out all the ground rules for the evening in the first ten minutes of the show, ideally in the first song. (Think of Into the Woods, Company, Hamilton, High Fidelity, Next to Normal, Bat Boy, Be More Chill, Heathers, and so many other great shows.) Urinetown does in fact set up all the rules for the evening in the first song, but these are really different rules.

While most stories weave the central theme subtly throughout the story, Urinetown bludgeons us repeatedly all night with water and pee imagery. This world is familiar to us, but also different from ours, like a funhouse mirror of our real world, distorted, but still a mirror. We can count on certain things making sense, but not all things, and we can sort of see our own reflection. The storytelling seems unnervingly serious and perversely literal. The heightened style of acting mashes together the high formality of Classical Theatre with a gleefully silly plot and ridiculous characters and dialogue.

In some ways, Urinetown asks actors to actively go against their best instincts. But I've seen this weird alchemy work. I saw it on Broadway, and I directed the show for New Line fifteen years ago, with a fearless cast. It's been a blast to return to this upside-down world again.

Head Over Heels (2022)

Conceived by and Original Book by Jeff Whitty
Adapted by James Magruder
Music and Lyrics by The Go-Go's
Based on the 16th-century novel The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney

March 2-25, 2022
Marcelle Theater
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Princess Pamela – Grace Langford
Musidorus – Clayton Humburg
Princess Philoclea – Melissa Felps
Mopsa – Dawn Schmid
King Basilius – Zachary Allen Farmer
Queen Gynecia – Carrie Wenos Priesmeyer
Pythio – Tiélere Cheatem
Dametas – Colin Dowd
Arcadians – Kevin Corpuz, Evan Fornachon,
Chris Kernan, Chris Moore, Maggie Nold,
Michelle Sauer, Alyssa Wolf, Sara Rae Womack

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Keyboard – Nicolas Valdez
Lead Guitar – Aaron Rugo
Guitar – Jaylen Edwards
Percussion – Clancy Newell
Bass – John Gerdes

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Director – Scott Miller
Music Director – Nicolas Valdez
Choreographers – Michelle Sauer, Sara Rae Womack
Stage Manager – Erin Goodenough
Scenic Designer – Rob Lippert
Costume Designer – Courtney Gibson, Sarah Porter
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Lighting Design – Kenneth Zinkl
Props Master – Kimi Short
Scenic Crew – Richard Brown, Nick Brunstein, Patrick Donnigan,
Patrick Donnigan, Kathleen Dwyer, Gary Karasek,
Luca Pritchett, Paul Troyke, Victoria Xu
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

"Head Over Heels thoroughly entertains. The themes and story are charmingly comic and completely relevant. The book’s light touch ensures its messages about love and acceptance are easy to embrace, even in flyover country. Miller’s engaging direction keeps the musical comedy upbeat and the audience involved through both uncertain and declarative moments. Most importantly, exceptional performances have the audience cheering for the characters and for love to conquer all while the infectious songs of The Go-Go’s perfectly hit the mark." – Tina Farmer, KDHX

"New Line Theatre, which was forced to close its hit production of the musical Head Over Heels with the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, revives the show with an even better version this March. If the infectious music of the Go-Go’s and a witty, clever script are your choices of entertainment, you’ll be delighted with New Line’s effervescent presentation of this agreeable romp. . . The zesty, exuberant choreography created by Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack is better and tighter in this new presentation than in the 2020 version." – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

"Two years later, Head Over Heels is back at New Line. The original production was splendid. So is the revival. . . The perceptive stage direction by Scott Miller in complete sympathy with the show. The score sounds wonderful thanks to New Line band under Miller’s musical direction. The dance numbers sparkle in the exuberant choreography by Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack." – Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle

“Exactly two years ago, when COVID-19 was about to cast the live theater world into a kind of suspended animation, New Line Theatre put on a dazzling regional premier of the Go-Go's inspired stage musical Head Over Heels. . . it's still a thrill to watch and to get caught up in the swirl of it. Head Over Heels' vocal and dance magic remains in excellent working order. . . It's a jukebox musical that transcends the category, reshuffling the popular 1980s girl group's songbook into a 16th century smash hit poem, complete with Day-Glo doublet and hose, and some very up to date gender pronouns.” – Richard Green, Talkin Broadway

"There’s a (near-riotous) party going on at New Line Theatre. Scott Miller and his merry band have unleashed Head Over Heels. Unleashed again, that is. Their first production was stopped in its tracks two years ago this month by the pandemic. Celebrate by heading to The Marcelle Theater and settling in for an evening of fun. . . And then there’s the choreography from Michelle Sauer and Sara Rae Womack, dazzling and athletic and in-your-face. . . Miller directed this, and he’s hit it out of the park. It’s a good example of the whole new world of musical theatre." – Ann Pollack, St. Louis Eats and Drinks

"Two years ago, New Line opened exactly the kind of show that makes this oddball company a treasure of St. Louis theater: hip, zesty and largely unknown. New Line founder Scott Miller has an uncanny gift for discovering these gems; I call it Playdar. . . Here’s the great news: New Line has mounted it again, in a hilarious production that involves nearly all the same actors and artists. . . A masterful, genre-crossing, achronological mashup." – Judy Newmark, All the World’s a Stage

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

WELCOME BACK! Can you believe it’s been two years?

We live in an age of mashup, the art of combining forms and content that shouldn't go together, to form something new and wonderful. Head Over Heels is one of the most interesting mashups I've yet encountered, slamming 16th-century Elizabethan language and morality up against 1980s punk-pop, and slamming them both up against the sexual and gender politics of America right now. It's a heady brew.

The result is breathtaking – funny, shocking, ironic, surprising, ridiculous, revealing, smart, insightful, and deliciously goofy. This show follows Stephen Sondheim's Cardinal Rule, that Content Dictates Form. In this world, love doesn't follow any normal rules, so neither does the show. Gender is nearly irrelevant here, and along with the royal family, we in the audience find many of our preconceptions and assumptions turned gleefully upside-down. But though sexuality permeates the plot, this isn't a story about sex; it's a story about connection and self-awareness, and how one requires the other.

Only after these characters are able to achieve some self-awareness are they able to connect meaningfully. And the road to that self-awareness is very painful for them and very funny for us. We can laugh at them partly because this show swims in 21st century irony, and that gives us some emotional distance, but also because we can all see ourselves and our own ridiculous romantic blunders in these characters and events on stage. And in that recognition, we in the audience also come to some amount of self-awareness and connection, along with the characters.

Every assumption we have is up for grabs in this world. Our usual ideas about gay and straight, male and female, love and lust, beauty and attraction, are all enthusiastically upended. And that often revealing dissonance between the real world and the world of Head Over Heels is the source of lots of rich, insightful, human comedy. We never know what's coming next in this modern fairy tale because this world operates so differently from ours. And that's the crazy fun of this adventure. It's never safe to assume anything in this world. Anything.

It wasn't all that long ago that catalog musicals (or jukebox musicals, as some folks call them) were just a punch line. At their best, those shows were guilty pleasures. But Jersey Boys showed us a catalog musical can be well-structured, well-written, and ultimately, really powerful musical theatre. Then Michael Mayer became the Hal Prince of the catalog musical, as he expanded and enlivened the form with the brilliant American Idiot, Head Over Heels, and Jagged Little Pill. Since we already produced American Idiot in 2016, it's been huge fun working on this show again, seeing how this rich sub-sub-genre is evolving...