Sarah Porter News

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," announces its 27th season of adult, alternative musical theatre, including the St. Louis premiere of the four-woman rock opera LIZZIE, a very different take on the Lizzie Borden legend, running Sept. 28-Oct. 21, 2017; followed by Cole Porter's satiric masterpiece ANYTHING GOES, running March 1-24, 2018; and the St. Louis premiere of the world's first bio-historical musical comedy, YEAST NATION, written by the Urinetown team, running May 31-June 23, 2018. All New Line's mainstage shows will be in the company's home, the Marcelle Theater, in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," announces its 27th season of adult, alternative musical theatre, including the St. Louis premiere of the four-woman rock opera LIZZIE, a very different take on the Lizzie Borden legend, running Sept. 28-Oct. 21, 2017; followed by Cole Porter's satiric masterpiece ANYTHING GOES, running March 1-24, 2018; and the St. Louis premiere of the world's first bio-historical musical comedy, YEAST NATION, written by the Urinetown team, running May 31-June 23, 2018. All New Line's mainstage shows will be in the company's home, the Marcelle Theater, in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

There are so many things to love about New Line Theatre's latest production, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, that this review is certain to be filled with superlatives. I've watched the 1957 film a number of times, and I like the way John Guare's book for the show uses the first act as a backstory before it touches on the events that actually take place in the movie during the second act. By attacking the story this way Guare adds depth and establishes the characters in ways that the film doesn't. The score is a cool and jazz-tinged effort by the late Marvin Hamlisch, with lyrics, by Craig Camelia, which give the numbers added bite. It's clear to me that the show requires the intimacy this production provides to fully succeed, and also explains its short run on Broadway. That's just one of the things that New Line does so consistently well. The movie is a dark, film noir masterpiece, and in adapting it as a musical for a large stage that claustrophobic atmosphere that is so necessary to the genre is lost. Here, the viewer becomes a fly on the wall, observing the machinations of the plot unfolding in the same way that the film utilizes closeups and shadows to pull us into its cynical world. Superior performances, a great band, and sharp direction make this show a must-see.

Welcome to Broadway, the glamour, power, and sleaze capital of the universe.

New Line continues its 26th season with the local premiere of the fiery 2002 jazz-rock musical THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, by legendary film and stage composer Marvin Hamlisch (his last theatre score), lyricist Craig Carnelia, and Tony-winning playwright John Guare, based on the famous short story and film. The show was nominated for seven Tonys, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score, and eleven Drama Desk Awards. It's a Faustian moral nightmare, all set to a sizzling 'jazz noir' score from the composer of the stage musicals A Chorus Line, They're Playing Our Song, Smile, The Goodbye Girl, and the film scores for The Sting, The Way We Were, Sophie's Choice, and many others. 

There's something oddly life-affirming about the character of Zobra. He's a cheerleader for living life to its fullest. ZORBA the musical (lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander, and book by Joseph Stein) impresses an audience with the realization that time never stands still, and therefore, life goes on despite the nasty curves it may lob our way. New Line Theatre's production is a real revelation, because even though this show received its fair share of award nominations, it's really not revived that often. Perhaps it's the darker elements that pervade the show that turn some people off, but then life isn't always sunshine and roses, so I like that they are present. This kind of presentation is something that New Line does better than anyone else, and that's to revive a neglected or forgotten show for a new audience to appreciate, and their track record is impeccable in this regard. This show is a genuine must see, and taking it in I've come to realize that we all need our own personal 'Zorba' to prod us into taking risks and fully investing ourselves in whatever we do, even if things might go awry on occasion.

It's 1924, on the Greek island of Crete, and you're about to go on a wild, whirlwind tour of the lusty passions of the human heart.

In addition to publishing the audio of this year's Newbery Medal winner, Recorded Books Inc., along with Tantor Media and christianaudio, also had audio titles honored with Honor Books, Amazing Audiobooks, and Notable children's recordings.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," launches its new cabaret series, Off Line at the Monocle, with one of New Line's most popular performers, on Saturday January 21 at 8:00 p.m.

Though I'm extremely familiar with Tom Jones' (words) and Harvey Schmidt's (music) most popular work, THE FANTASTICKS, I had never seen their follow up, CELEBRATION. What I'd read while doing research was that it really fizzled once it was on Broadway. However, after seeing it I can understand why; it's a smaller scaled show that requires just the right venue to succeed. That's why 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.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," opens its 26th season of adult, alternative musical theatre with the world premiere of a new revised version of the wild, 1969 adult jazz-rock musical CELEBRATION, by the creators of The Fantasticks, runningSept. 29-Oct. 22, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

New Line Theatre, “the bad boy of musical theatre,” opens its 26th season of adult, alternative musical theatre with the world premiere of a new revised version of the wild, 1969 adult jazz-rock musical CELEBRATION, by the creators of The Fantasticks, running Sept. 29-Oct. 22, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

TELL ME ON A SUNDAY has an interesting history, being conceived by Tim Rice as a TV series initially. Frequent collaborator and composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, later took the project to lyricist Don Black, and a lovely one act musical resulted. Though changes have occurred over the years with how it's been utilized (acting as the first part of the show SONG AND DANCE), and with song choices that have come and gone, this production by New Line Theatre is probably the closest you'll find to its original vision. Sparked by some of Webber's most gorgeous material (it occasionally reminds me of vintage Burt Bacharach at times, and I mean that in the best possible way), and laced with Black's amusing and often biting lyrical content, 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.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," closes its 25th anniversary season with Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman, one-act rock musical TELL ME ON A SUNDAY, running August 11-27, 2016, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre space in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district. 

 New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," closes its 25th anniversary season with Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman, one-act rock musical TELL ME ON A SUNDAY, running August 11-27, 2016, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre space in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district. 

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre,' announces its 26th season of adult, alternative musical theatre, including the world premiere of a new revised version of the wild, 1969 adult jazz-rock musical CELEBRATION, by the creators of The Fantasticks, running Sept. 29-Oct. 22, 2016; followed by Kander & Ebb's rarely produced gem ZORBA, running March 2-25, 2017; then the regional premiere of the pitch-black 2002 jazz-rock musical THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, based on the famous novel and film, running June 1-24, 2017; and the world premiere of the third installment of New Line's own creation, the new revue OUT ON BROADWAY: THE THIRD COMING, running August 3-19, 2017. All New Line's mainstage shows will be in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

ATOMIC receives it's Midwestern regional debut with New Line Theatre's thoroughly engaging and informative production. While it might not seem typical of the productions you're used to seeing the company present, it falls into a category which they excel at; breathing fresh life into a new show, and in the process, displaying its many artistic merits. As noted in the director's notes, this is a modern Prometheus story in a sense, with physicists creating a sort of Frankenstein's monster as they construct this weapon of mass destruction. The analogy of letting the genie out of the bottle could also apply, since this new technology also led directly to the Cold War and arms escalation that occurred. This isn't just a slice of history that explains how the atomic bomb was created, but more a piece that shows us the emotional impact it had on its creators, Filled with a clever and catchy pop/rock score that drives the angst the characters feel, particularly Leo Szilard, a name passed over in many history books despite his brilliance, feels over how the bomb is going to be utilized. Full of surprising amounts of both humor and heart, this is great theatre, and I could tell from the discussions that happened during intermission, a show that will surely provoke a lot of lively debate. It's essentially must-see entertainment that will have you pondering many of its myriad of aspects and points of view long after the lights have dimmed.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," now in its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre, presents the regional premiere of the new rock musical ATOMIC by Danny Ginges and Philip Foxman, running June 2-25, 2016, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre space in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," now in its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre, presents the regional premiere of the new rock musical ATOMIC by Danny Ginges and Philip Foxman, running June 2-25, 2016, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre space in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre,' now in its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre, presents the regional premiere of the new rock musical ATOMIC by Danny Ginges and Philip Foxman, beginning today, June 2, and continues through 25, 2016, in the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre space in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district.