Celebration (2016)

words by Tom Jones
music by Harvey Schmidt
Sept. 29-Oct. 22, 2016
Marcelle Theater
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Potemkin – Kent Coffel
Orphan – Sean Michael
Angel – Larissa White
William Rosebud Rich – Zachary Allen Farmer
Revelers – Colin Dowd, Sarah Dowling, Christopher Lee, Todd Micali, Nellie Mitchell, Michelle Sauer, Kimi Short

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Piano – Sarah Nelson
Guitar – D. Mike Bauer
Keyboard 2 – Sue Goldford
Percussion – Clancy Newell
Bass – Jake Stergos

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Scott Miller, Mike Dowdy
Music Director – Sarah Nelson
Choreographer – Michelle Sauer
Stage Manager/Lighting Technician – Brendan O’Brien
Scenic Designer – Rob Lippert
Costume Designer – Sarah Porter
Sound Designer – Benjamin Rosemann
Lighting Designer – Kenneth Zinkl
Props Master – Mike Dowdy-Windsor
Scenic Artists – Patrick Donnigan, Richard Brown,
Melanie Kozak, Paul Troyke, Kate Wilkerson
Box Office Manager – Jason Klefisch
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Videographer – Kyle Jeffery Studios
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS
“A sort of deconstruction and laying bare of the elements that make life so fantastic and worth living. New Line Theatre, in its visual and titillating production of Celebration, embraces the conceit with skill and fluidity. . . All the details fit together well and the effect is marvelous, creating the atmosphere of an exclusive party at a decadently fading disco. . . The songs are showy and catchy and the dialogue witty, allowing lead actors Larissa White, Zachary Allen Farmer, Sean Michael and Kent Coffel to shine. A little quirky and weird, Celebration is a delightfully provocative musical gem filled with intentional pomp and theatrical circumstance.” – Tina Farmer, KDHX

“I’m so glad New Line Theatre opened their 26th season with this fanciful and tune-filled musical. Through their superlative efforts we’re able to see the premiere of a version that’s been revised by Tom Jones. I’m not sure what was changed, but what we’re privy to is a very engaging and entertaining production that will make you wonder why it isn’t performed with more regularity. The score itself is gorgeous, and I cannot recommend this neglected gem highly enough. . . a genuinely fun experience. . . With a truly memorable score and many amusing moments, one wonders why this musical isn’t more well known and successful. That’s why I urge you to check out New Line Theatre’s wonderful production of Celebration.” – Chris Gibson, BroadwayWorld

“Co-directors Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor have assembled an amazing cast to add polish and luster to Tom Jones’ and Harvey Schmidt’s musical. But they’ve also resurrected the forgotten style of a more beautiful time in this delightful piece. Aging hippies take note, your heart will find a home in Celebration. . . Part fable, part love triangle, and part 1960s hippie/Brechtian/Fantasticks-style love-in, this seldom-seen show succeeds brilliantly thanks to its post-Vietnam urgency, its post-Civil Rights egalitarianism, and perhaps even a soupçon of pre-Watergate naivetĂ©—along with excellent leads and the sheer wit and exuberance of the whole ensemble.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway

“In a world full of remakes, rip-offs and rehashes, it’s nice to know that there are still surprises. . . New Line Theatre has proven time and again that what stumbles on the big stage can spring into life in a black box theater. Under the direction of Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor, New Line’s current staging of Celebration is a mystical journey that brings rebirth and rejuvenation.” – Paul Friswold, The Riverfront Times

“New Line Theatre’s world premiere of the revised Celebration features fantastic performances. . . This is a show that is a bit shocking, very funny and ultimately speaks volumes about the human condition. . . Once again, Scott Miller’s cast is top-notch. . . I’m extremely excited and honored to have been among the first few people in the world to see his revised version. I wouldn’t want to see it done any other way.” – Jeff Ritter, Critical Blast

“The rediscovery of neglected work is one of New Line’s strengths, and this jazzy life-cycle fable has a lot to recommend it. . . .Co-directors Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor make everything sing with the winsome, alluring voice that we’ve known and loved since The Fantasticks debuted in 1960.”“ – Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Brisk and lightweight in appearance but abetted by universal themes of hope and beauty, age and death, Celebration is an intriguing musical written by the creators of The Fantasticks, which it strongly resembles in style and execution. The two-act story, first performed in 1969 and recently revised by bookwriter Tom Jones for New Line Theatre, is breezily performed by New Line’s cast within the cozy confines of the company’s Marcelle Theater under the watchful direction of Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor. . . It’s rarely performed by professional companies in America, so do yourself a favor and make a resolution to experience the seasons of Celebration at the Marcelle Theater while there’s still time.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“Being an allegory, it’s a plot that must be experienced to be appreciated. Add the bouncy, cynical, often jazzy score and you’ve got the makings of yet another musical that fits perfectly into the black box of the Marcelle that is the home to New Line. . . Sarah Nelson leads a strong band which brings out the clever and exciting score. Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor co direct and set the mysterious and sometimes eerie feel of the story beautifully to stage.” – Steve Allen, Stagedoor St. Louis

“New Line Theatre is the first to premiere this revised version. Under the lively direction of Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor, the intimate black box space at the Marcelle seems like a marvelous fit.” – Andrea Torrence, St. Louis Theatre Snob

“Under the innovative co-direction of Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy-Windsor, this restless relic gets a new dawn, and a swell cast seizes the day, strange as it may seem. . . Music Director Sarah Nelson crisply leads four other superb musicians in Schmidt’s unmistakable compositions. . . While the show was created in turbulent times, pleading for a sliver of hope to emerge, its message — to survive in a very cold, cruel world is tough, but the noble choice, no matter how hard the struggle — remains timeless.” – Lynn Venhaus, Belleville News Democrat

“The theme and mood of the production is stylishly presented, lending much to the overall entertainment value of the production and augmenting the performances of the excellent cast. Celebration is an entertaining production inventively staged. It’s not for everyone, as like almost all of New Line’s shows, this is for mature audiences. For the most part, Celebration is a witty, energetic, and extremely well-cast show that’s well worth checking out.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

DIRECTOR'S NOTES
Celebration is an experiment. It’s a primal ritual drama about Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of fertility, love, sex, and wisdom, re-enacting the ritual of the hieros gamos, or Sacred Marriage, which takes place during the New Year Festival, symbolizing the union of the goddess Inanna/ Ishtar and her lover Dumuzi.

Doesn't that sound like a great idea for a musical comedy?

All theatre is ritualistic in some way, but Celebration isn't just a modern descendant of ritual; it is actually ritual itself.

Bookwriter-lyricist Tom Jones wrote in the introduction to the 1973 published script, “Celebration is different. It is a fable. It has ritual overtones. It is based upon ancient ceremonies depicting the battle between Winter and Summer. It was suggested by an editorial in the New York Times about the meaning of the Winter Solstice. It annoyed the hell out of some people. It delighted others. It ran for only 109 performances on Broadway. But it is done often around the country and the world. And it has been phenomenally successful in Scandinavia (where the Winter Solstice is something to be reckoned with).”

There is no subplot here, no secondary couple, no eleven o'clock number. No, our four leads are the four seasons. This isn't just a story about nature; this is a story of nature. This isn't a story about the passing of time; this is the story of time. There is no Fourth Wall. And our stage is infinite. Which means the audience's imaginations do much of the work.

This really isn't like any other musical you've ever seen. (I find that's true of a lot of the shows New Line produces.) This is ritual disguised as linear narrative. This is a storytelling experiment. The “story” here is just the changing of the seasons and the calendar, and the climax is literally the clock striking twelve on New Year's Eve.

At the end of his intro to the published script, Jones wrote, “We did Celebration first at our Portfolio Studio. It felt good there. It belonged. When we moved it into the Ambassador Theatre on Broadway, it didn't feel as good. It seemed somewhat silly up there, not because it was less effective than a Broadway musical, but because it wasn't a Broadway musical. Who knows? Perhaps we will do it again someday. With revisions. And in a proper place.”

Tom Jones has given New Line Theatre the honor of premiering his revised Celebration, right here in St. Louis in our beautiful blackbox theatre. A proper place, indeed.

Tell Me on a Sunday (2016)

book and lyrics by Don Black
music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
August 11-27, 2016
Marcelle Theater
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Emma – Sarah Porter

THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Piano – Nate Jackson
Cello – Eric Bateman
Percussion – Clancy Newell
Reeds – Harrison Rich
Bass – Jake Stergos

THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Director – Mike Dowdy-Windsor
Directing Intern – Daniel Washelesky
Music Director – Nate Jackson
Stage Manager/Lighting Technician – Michael Juncal
Scenic & Lighting Designer – Rob Lippert
Costume Designer – Sarah Porter
Sound Designer – Benjamin Rosemann
Props Master – Kimi Short
Dialect Coach – Laurie McConnell
Scenic Artists – Patrick Donnigan, Gary Karasek,
Melanie Kozak, Kate Wilkerson
Box Office Manager – Kimi Short
Volunteer Coordinator – Alison Helmer
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Videographer – Kyle Jeffery Studios
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS
“New Line's Tell Me on a Sunday is surprisingly moving. . . as intimate as a handwritten letter, and as welcome, too. It's a surprising change of pace for the man who ambushed the world with the monstrous Starlight Express. Of course it's no surprise that New Line Theatre's season-closing production of the show wrings so much joy from Tell Me on a Sunday; the company has a way with musicals . . . a lovely little show that celebrates our human need for love. It's an undeniable winner...” – Paul Friswold, The Riverfront Times

“This newest production's director, Mike Dowdy-Windsor (who's made this show deeply personal and witty and strangely enlightening), says this batch of songs, united by a single, complex character, is what Sir Andrew calls 'the definitive version.' The well-known composer is probably right: Sarah Porter has four or five necessary costume changes, and about as many (unseen) lovers through the roughly 70 minute musical. But what makes it definitive is that it's all so psychologically clear and enthralling, full of twists and turns and self-deceptions that we laugh at how deep it all goes, into Emma's dreams, and (often) into her scorn as well. It's like Sex and The City, without the sex; or Bridget Jones' Diary, with more than twice as many lovers. And in lieu of sex (and in lieu of Hugh Grant or Colin Firth), we get a boatload of great songs that take us on one stirring emotional journey after another, thanks to Ms. Porter's searching soul. It's a very fair trade.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway

“I was thoroughly enthralled and impressed by the production. The performance, transitions, and direction ensure the show is an absolute delight while establishing Sarah Porter as a rising star in St. Louis theater. . . Porter expertly handles the vocals and, under the direction of Mike Dowdy-Windsor, deftly navigates the emotional context of the story. . . What captivated and mesmerized me was Porter's remarkable performance, and for that I could watch the show again and again.” – Tina Farmer, KDHX

“This production by New Line Theatre is probably the closest you'll find to its original vision. . . it radiates perfection under Mike Dowdy-Windsor's direction, and in the process, provides actress Sarah Porter with an excellent vehicle to showcase her exceptional talents. . . a one person show would seem to be a rather daunting task for any performer to undertake. But Porter has the chops and the seasoning to completely personify Emma, making her character fully realized, and giving incredible voice to the beautiful score that flows constantly through the show. There are some truly special tunes among Webber and Black's compositions, and Porter completely inhabits each and every one of them, making us laugh at times, but more often, touching our hearts in a deeply personal way. . . I recommend that you see it as soon as possible. It's a real treat!” – Chris Gibson, BroadwayWorld

"Heartaches and hope are the recurrent themes of the Andrew Lloyd Webber one-act musical, Tell Me On a Sunday, which has been ferociously tackled by New Line Theatre. . . A feisty Sarah Porter, who has brought a number of independent, willful and lively women characters to vivid life for New Line, fearlessly seizes the intimate stage at The Marcelle Theatre, grabbing our hearts as she commands our attention for a 23-song cycle without an intermission. . . Porter gives a virtuoso performance, a marathon of mettle — a testament to her talent but also her ability to courageously show us every facet of this ordinary woman. . . This show is a stripped down, change of pace for New Line, and appealing summer fare to close their vibrant 25th anniversary season.” – Lynn Venhaus, Belleville News-Democrat

“New Line Theatre’s local premiere of this one-act is an enjoyable and entertaining evening thanks to the sweet, clear voice and animated expressions of Sarah Porter as Emma. Furthermore, she’s given substantial support by the muscular musical accompaniment of the New Line Band under Nate Jackson’s disciplined musical direction. . . The tunes range from thoughtful ballads to spirited, body-swaying numbers which demonstrate Webber’s considerable musical range, while Black’s easy-going lyrics prove a wise match for the infectious melodies. . . a touching presentation of one young woman’s search for fulfillment in an often indifferent and complicated world...” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“Sarah Porter is pure magic . . . Gifted with beautiful eyes that capture your attention and a smoky voice that can crack wise one moment and make your lower lip quiver with deep emotion the next, Sarah is the perfect choice to play Emma as she owns the stage and the audience’s attention for a little over an hour with no intermission. . . a brisk but brilliant experience that cements Sarah Porter as a hometown star . . . I’m telling you right now to plan to see New Line Theatre’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tell Me on a Sunday as soon as possible.” – Jeff Ritter, Critical Blast

“The show is not about incidents. It’s about feelings. Which Sarah Porter embodies with total conviction. She and her director Mike Dowdy-Windsor have thoroughly explored Emma’s psyche, and they bring an abundance of drama and variety to the piece, along with vivid characterization and lively movement. Porter pleases eyes with her costumes and ears with her singing.” – Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle

“Sarah Porter shines in Tell Me on a Sunday . . . As a member of the New Line Theatre ensemble, Porter has shown plenty of range in role after role, season after season. . . But she takes on her biggest challenge in New Line’s latest production. . . She meets that challenge with aplomb — and charm to spare.” – Judith Newmark, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“Sarah Porter nails it, kills it and every other theatrical cliche you can think of with a stellar breakout performance. . . Sarah Porter not only sings the role with perfection, her acting is superb and she maintains that British accent throughout in a show that’s completely sung. Facial expressions, body language and the range of disappointment, hope and joy in her voice make for a character and a show that you can’t help but fall in love with. What a stunning performance.” – Steve Allen, Stage Door St. Louis

“Porter certainly does shine. It’s a remarkable performance, played out with an impressively believable English accent, as well. . . This is a show that could easily come across as more of a concert than a play, but thanks to the clever, dynamic staging of director Mike Dowdy-Windsor and Porter’s superb performance, that doesn’t happen here. This is a fully staged, fascinating story, centered around a complex character who is learning about herself as she learns about her world and her relationships. There’s a lot to talk and think about, as well as some real humor and drama.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts