American Idiot (2024)

Music by Green Day
Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Book by Michael Mayer & Billie Joe Armstrong
based on the Green Day album
Sept. 12 - Oct. 5, 2024
Show Webpage
Production Photos

THE CAST
Johnny – Clayton Humburg
Tunny – Rafael DaCosta
Will – DeAnté Bryant
Whatsername – Lauren Tenenbaum
Extraordinary Girl – Adrienne Spann
Heather – Rachel Parker
St. Jimmy – Bee Mecey
Favorite Son – Jordan Ray Duncan
Featured Dancers – Gabriel Anderson, Kaylin Penninger
Ensemble – Gabriel Anderson, Jordan Ray Duncan
Alex Giordano, Amora Marie, Ian McCreary,
Nathan Mecey, Kaylin “Kat” Penninger,
Hannah Renee, Vanessa Simpson


THE NEW LINE BAND
Conductor/Bass – John Gerdes
Keyboard – Chelsea Zak
Guitar 1 – Adam Rugo
Guitar 2 – Xander Gerdes
Drums – Jake Luebbert
Violin – Steve Frisbee
Viola – Mallory Golden
Cello – Marie Brown/Michaela Kuba


THE ARTISTIC STAFF
Directors – Chris Moore, Scott Miller
Directing Intern – Gabriel Scott Lawrence
Music Director – John Gerdes
Asst. Music Director – Chelsea Zak
Choreographer – Chelsie Johnston
Dance Captains – Gabriel Anderson, Kaylin Penninger
Intimacy Coordinator – Ashwini Arora
Stage Manager – Tawaine Noah
Technical Director – Nathan Mecey
Sound Designer – Ryan Day
Scenic Designer – Dr. Rob Lippert
Costume Designer – Lauren Smith Bearden
Lighting Designer – Ryan Thorp
Props Master – Mallory Golden
Graphic Designer – Matt Reedy
Photographer – Jill Ritter Lindberg

REVIEWS

“New Line Theatre’s latest revival of Green Day’s punk rock musical American Idiot vastly exceeds its 2016 production on every level. Co-directed by Chris Moore and company founder Scott Miller, this new staging feels more alienated, more rebellious, and a hundred times more nuanced in its singing and acting than the last. . . Now the lyrics seem almost like glaciers – not so much to see ‘on the surface,’ but with the great mass of their meaning lying deep within the characters brought on to the stage this time. . . This is New Line’s 98th production and, in the post-COVID era, Scott Miller has been quietly experimenting with his company’s DNA, bringing in various talented new co-directors and choreographers. Each time it’s looked like a great collaboration. And it’s shocking, to a critic, to watch a venerable St. Louis company like this step boldly into a new era of dynamic clarity and artistic expression.” – Richard Green, TalkinBroadway

“New Line Theatre’s 33rd season begins with an energetic and angsty American Idiot. . . These songs, performed with vigor by a talented ensemble and backed by a take-no-prisoners band, form the backbone of the production. . . This masterful staging of American Idiot from directors Chris Moore and Scott Miller feeds off of the 2000s vibe of governmental distrust, dystopian fear and youthful agitation and freshens it up. As a result, audiences are treated to a moving contemporary parable that speaks to audiences from across the decades.” – Rob Levy, BroadwayWorld

“Fledgling New Line Theatre director Chris Moore, along with founding artistic director and co-director Scott Miller, tap into the rich reservoir of rocking tunes by Green Day in an infectious, electrifying rendition of Green Day’s American Idiot musical. The production features a litany of pulsating numbers guaranteed to energize its audience. . . Music director John Gerdes leads the magnificent New Line Band as it delivers the musical goods, and more, with rhythm and panache.” – Mark Bretz, Ladue News

“An electric cast brings to life Green Day’s turbo-charged punk rock opera American Idiot, accompanied by an exceptional group of eight musicians whose propulsive rhythms invigorate New Line Theatre’s 98th production. . . New Line first presented this youthful alienation statement as a regional premiere in 2016, and with a fresh crop of performers, has turned the Marcelle Theater into a scorching experience that ramps up passion and urgency. Heads will be banged. . . This cast shows their bond as mostly Gen Z’ers presenting a specific era. It’s hard to think of American Idiot as a period piece, for it remains relevant with its blistering screeds and hopeful ballads. With a complexity that you may not have thought about while hearing the music in radio play or through sound systems, American Idiot shakes things awake in a rant against complacency and manipulation – and that can be heard loud and clear at any age.” – Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL

“Two things are immediately apparent in the opening number of this excellent staging. First, the sound achieves a fine balance between the voices and the eight-piece New Line band – no small matter in a sung-through show in which the lyrics advance the story. Second, the anarchic drive of Chelsie Johnston’s choreography and Chris Moore and Scott Miller’s direction establishes the right atmosphere for a musical about aimless, disaffected suburban youths. The staging and choreography are continually responsive to the show’s demands. . . The New Line staging features fine characterizations and singing.” – Gerry Kowarksy, Two on the Aisle

“The casting is excellent, led by dynamic performances from Clayton Humburg as the thrill-seeking Johnny, DeAnté Bryant as the aimless Will, and especially Rafael Da Costa as the initially directionless but eventually profoundly devastated Tunny. All three have strong voices and presence, carrying their numbers with clarity and authenticity. . . If you love Green Day, you’ll probably enjoy American Idiot. Even if you are not as familiar with the band and their music, however, there is a compelling, well thought-out message here, even though it does have its flaws. In terms of the production itself, this is another strong effort from New Line Theatre, proving that revivals can be just as effective as their original productions, and sometimes even more so.” – Michelle Kenyon, Snoop’s Theatre Thoughts

“New Line Theatre doesn’t fool around, delivering a raw, punky American Idiot. . . This production captures the raw energy and pop-punk spirit of young people railing self-destructively against the world through drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll.” – CB Adams, KDHX

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

In 2000, Geroge W. Bush won the U.S. Presidency.
In 2001, America suffered the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
In 2002, Bush took America to war in Afghanistan.
In 2003, Bush took America to war in Iraq.
In 2004, Billie Joe Armstrong and his band Green Day released their American Idiot album as a response, their own punk rock opera that took direct inspiration from The Who’s Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, and The Rocky Horror Show.

American Idiot followed the life of “Jesus of Suburbia,” a lost, nihilistic anti-hero who goes on a journey of self-discovery. The album sold fourteen million copies worldwide, almost six million in the U.S., and it won the Grammy Award for best rock album. From early on, the band hoped to turn the album into a stage show or film. Broadway director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Head Over Heels) heard the album and he was knocked out by it.

 A couple years later, in an offhand remark to a Variety reporter about rock music on Broadway, Mayer mused that someone should be thinking about a stage version of the Green Day album. When the actor-turned-producer Tom Hulce read the interview, he called Mayer, with whom he was already working on Spring Awakening, and Hulce called Mayer’s bluff. They met with Billie Joe Armstrong, and he gave the project his blessing. Mayer’s stage version turned Armstrong’s hero myth story into a triple hero myth story.

After a run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2009, the show was substantially revised and moved to the St. James Theatre on Broadway, where it officially opened in April 2010. The show closed in April 2011, after 422 performances. While Green Day did not appear in the production, vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong occasionally stepped into the role of St. Jimmy throughout the run, usually with no advance public notice.

Peter Travers wrote in Rolling Stone, “Though American Idiot carries echoes of such rock musicals as Tommy, Hair, Rent, and Spring Awakening, it cuts its own path to the heart. You won’t know what hit you. American Idiot knows no limits – it's a global knockout.” Paul Taylor in The Independent called the show “the Hair of its generation.”

The show has been produced across the country for the last fourteen years. New Line Theatre last produced the show in 2016. In 2024, American Idiot got new life. Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles mounted a new production, performed simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign Language.

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.