Kevin Murphy News

New Line opens its 25th season with the regional premiere of the pitch-black musical comedy HEATHERS, written by the award-winning team of Kevin Murphy (Reefer Madness) and Laurence O'Keefe (Bat Boy, Legally Blonde). This hilarious, big-hearted, and homicidal new musical is based on the 1989 cult film, truly one of the darkest teen comedies of all time. The original screenwriter Daniel Waters called it, "a Carson McCullers-style novel of a girl who meets the Antichrist as a teenager.'

New Line opens its 25th season with the company's 75th production, the pitch-black musical comedy HEATHERS, running tonight, October 1, through October 24, 2015, written by the award-winning team of Kevin Murphy ( Reefer Madness) and Laurence O'Keefe ( Bat Boy, Legally Blonde).

Have you ever seen a movie that you thought was so bad, that it was actually good? That's what happened on the road from turning laughably ridiculous 1936 anti-drug propaganda film REEFER MADNESS into a hit Off-Broadway musical. Despite continually being repurposed and repackaged throughout the 30s, 40s, and 50s, AMC considers the original REEFER MADNESS to be 'one of the worst movies ever made.' So, when Dan Studney (music) and Kevin Murphy (book and lyrics) brought the movie to the stage in 1998, it was with tongue firmly implanted in cheek. The musical, playing at Rollins College's Annie Russell Theatre through October 3rd, is a hilarious look at the paranoid fear-mongering that is often the default response to anything new. Having seen the 2005 star-studded film adaptation (and having recently interviewed original star Lori Alan), going in, my expectations for the Rollins' production were extremely 'high' (pun completely intended). However, as is standard for shows at the Annie, the REEFER MADNESS cast is exceptionally strong and, under the direction of Missy Barnes, manages to create the perfectly manic tone for this laugh-out-loud musical.

Hackensack Theatre Company will host Barrett Wilbert Weed, who starred as Veronica Sawyer Off-Broadway, at an intimate question and answer session during Heathers: The Musical's New Jersey premiere next month. Weed will be on hand following the October 29 performance during the limited run, which will play for just eight performances at the Hackensack Cultural Arts Center, located at 39 Broadway in Hackensack, NJ, from October 15-31.

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," opens its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre in the brand new Marcelle Theater in Grand Center, with the regional premiere of the rock musical HEATHERS, running October 1-24, 2015. 

New Orleans' favorite funniest man, Ricky Graham, directs a dynamic duo and two of the most respected actors in the city, Sean Paterson and Gary Rucker, starring in the title roles of the zany, irreverent musical and season opener, THE PRODUCERS, at Rivertown Theaters running tomorrow, September 11, through September 27, 2015. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

Friday night, Street Theatre Company continued their history of bringing edgy, daring theatre to the Nashville theatrical community. HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL is the latest venture for Street Theatre Company. Based on the 1989 movie of the same name, starring Wynona Rider and Christian Slater as Veronica and JD, HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL could possibly be the darkest, most twisted comedy this theatre-goer has ever seen. With book, music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Kevin Murphy, HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL takes audiences inside of a typical 1980s high school, with an extreme twist.

New Orleans' favorite funniest man, Ricky Graham, will be directing a dynamic duo and two of the most respected actors in the city, Sean Paterson and Gary Rucker, starring in the title roles of the zany, irreverent musical and season opener, THE PRODUCERS, at Rivertown Theaters running September 11 - 27, 2015. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the lead duo in costume below!

Street Theatre Company, well-known amongst Nashville audiences for staging darkly edgy productions, brings yet another musical premiere to Nashville with the Off-Broadway hit HEATHERS. Based on the cult classic movie of the same name, the musical centers around three shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing Heathers in the 1980s, who are the hottest and cruelest girls in school. The Heathers are in trouble when a misfit rejects them for the dark, sexy stranger who plans to put them in their place -- six feet under.

 The Ringwald Theatre, the trailblazing Ferndale theatre, is about to embark on its 9th season!  And in sorder to look ahead, we must first look back:  8 seasons of great, sometime groundbreaking theatre:  Southern Baptist Sissies.  Bug.  The Bad Seed.  Rent.  Evil Dead: The Musical.         The SantaLand Diaries.  When the Rain Stops Falling.  Killer Joe.  Angels in America.  Mercury Fur.  {title of show}. The Book of Liz. August: Osage County. Glengarry Glen Ross. Stupid f**king Bird. 

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," celebrates its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre, with a new, expanded line-up, a brand new theatre, and a very special thank-you to the St. Louis community -- '25 for 25.' At the Thursday preview performance for each show this season, New Line will set aside 25 tickets, and the first 25 people in line at the box office at 7:00 pm will each get a ticket for 25 cents (one ticket per person).

 The Ringwald Theatre, the trailblazing Ferndale theatre, is about to embark on its 9th season!  And in sorder to look ahead, we must first look back:  8 seasons of great, sometime groundbreaking theatre:  Southern Baptist Sissies.  Bug.  The Bad Seed.  Rent.  Evil Dead: The Musical.         The SantaLand Diaries.  When the Rain Stops Falling.  Killer Joe.  Angels in America.  Mercury Fur.  {title of show}. The Book of Liz. August: Osage County. Glengarry Glen Ross. Stupid f**king Bird. 

There is something killer going on in Orlando's theatre scene, and I mean that in the best possible way. Since debuting with a production of CABARET in January, Gen Y Productions has staged thrilling Florida premieres of two of New York's most buzzed-about new works, a risky proposition for a theatre company looking to build an audience. In June, it was a mesmerizing production of Pulitzer Prize-winner THE FLICK (read BWW's review), and now it is the devilishly entertaining HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL. The show runs through August 23rd at The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and after attending last week's Opening Night, I think it is safe to say that Gen Y is quickly becoming my favorite theatre company in Central Florida.  

New Orleans' favorite funniest man, Ricky Graham, will be directing a dynamic duo and two of the most respected actors in the city, Sean Paterson and Gary Rucker, starring in the title roles of the zany, irreverent musical and season opener, "The Producers," at Rivertown Theaters running September 11 - 27, 2015. 

Street Theatre Company, well-known amongst Nashville audiences for staging darkly edgy productions, brings yet another musical premiere to Nashville with the Off-Broadway hit HEATHERS. Based on the cult classic movie of the same name, the musical centers around three shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing Heathers in the 1980s, who are the hottest and cruelest girls in school. The Heathers are in trouble when a misfit rejects them for the dark, sexy stranger who plans to put them in their place -- six feet under.