Mike Dowdy News

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre, ' continues its 23rd season of adult, alternative musical theatre with an all-new, re-imagined production of the Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary classic, the iconic rock opera RENT, running through March 29, 2014. And tonight, March 25, at 7:00 p.m., New Line Theatre Off Line presents the first in the new Special Features series, bringing the RENT production and design team to the stage to talk about their work and take questions from you!

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre, ' continues its 23rd season of adult, alternative musical theatre with an all-new, re-imagined production of the Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary classic, the iconic rock opera RENT, running through March 29, 2014. And on Tuesday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m., New Line Theatre Off Line presents the first in the new Special Features series, bringing the RENT production and design team to the stage to talk about their work and take questions from you!

If you think you've seen RENT before, you really haven't. The touring companies with adults in the lead roles never really worked for me. They all seemed too old and mature to be portraying what is basically a 'coming of age' story. That's where New Line Theatre's current production really gets it right, and why you have to check it out immediately. A very talented, enthusiastic, and youthful cast brings Jonathan Larson's (book, music and lyrics) work to life in vibrant, intimate fashion that makes you actually care about these characters and their situation. This is a must-see show, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

New Line continues its 23rd season with Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize winning, long-running rock opera RENT. This cheerfully transgressive, 1990s rock/pop riff on the classic story, set in New York City's East Village, is best described in its creator's own words: "In these dangerous times, where it seems the world is ripping apart at the seams, we can all learn how to survive from those who stare death squarely in the face every day and we should reach out to each other and bond as a community, rather than hide from the terrors of life at the end of the millennium." BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre, ' continues its 23rd season of adult, alternative musicaltheatre with an all-new, re-imagined production of the Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary classic, the iconic rock opera RENT, running tonight, March 6-29, 2014.

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre, ' continues its 23rd season of adult, alternative musical theatre with an all-new, re-imagined production of the Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary classic, the iconic rock opera RENT, running March 6-29, 2014.

I've seen a great deal of cabaret shows over the years, and some are lively and enjoyable, while others are so serious and studied that it's sometimes work just to sit through them. But, New Line Off Line's Cabaret, WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE?(January 25th at the Kranzberg), is a kind of cat indeed. It's a cabaret with attitude. Fresh and full of cool, the show offers a plethora of offbeat material that deserves to be heard by an audience. In director Mike Dowdy's more than capable hands, performers Ryan Foizey and Marcy Wiegert blasted their way through about an hour of songs and personal patter to the absolute delight of a sold out crowd.

New Line Theatre Off Line presents a quirky, decidedly adult evening of cabaret, WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE?, for one night only, tonight, January 25 at the Kranzberg Arts Center Cabaret in Grand Center, featuring the New Generation of New Liners, Marcy Wiegert (Hair, Cry-Baby, Bukowsical, Night of the Living Dead) and Ryan Foizey (Cry-Baby, High Fidelity, Next to Normal, Bukowsical), with music direction by Justin Smolik and direction by Mike Dowdy.

New Line Theatre Off Line presents a quirky, decidedly adult evening of cabaret, WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE?, for one night only, Saturday, January 25 at the Kranzberg Arts Center Cabaret in Grand Center, featuring the New Generation of New Liners, Marcy Wiegert (Hair, Cry-Baby, Bukowsical, Night of the Living Dead) and Ryan Foizey (Cry-Baby, High Fidelity, Next to Normal, Bukowsical), with music direction by Justin Smolik and direction by Mike Dowdy.

New Line's season closes with the regional premiere of this new rock musical, inspired by true events, with music and lyrics by Amanda Green (High Fidelity, Bring It On), music by Trey Anastasio (of the rock band Phish), and a script by Doug Wright (Pulitzer Prize winner, I Am My Own Wife), adapted from the 1997 documentary of the same name.

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre, ' continues its 23rd season of adult, alternative musicaltheatre with an all-new, re-imagined production of the Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary classic, the iconic rock opera RENT, running March 6-29, 2014.

I'm a horror film fan, and I saw NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD for the first time at a midnight show when I was a teenager. Like the movie, the musical version (music by Matt Conner, lyrics by Stephen Gregory Smith and Conner) focuses our attention on the victims of a sudden outbreak of zombies. Sure, there are plenty of scenes of zombie mayhem in the original work, but the bulk of the film is really about a group of disparate people struggling to survive in an abandoned farmhouse. This is why I particularly enjoyed New Line's St. Louis premiere of this surprisingly tuneful adaptation. It's a serious-minded production that doesn't take a campy approach or attempt to spoof its subject, and I can appreciate that tact. This is an engaging and well acted presentation that takes a look at how humans behave in the direst of circumstances, and it's a must-see for fans of daring musical theatre.

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre, ' opens its 23rd season of adult, alternative musical theatre with the regional premiere of the new musical thriller NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, running now through November 2, 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre, ' opens its 23rd season of adult, alternative musical theatre with the regional premiere of the new musical thriller NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, running Oct. 10-Nov. 2, 2013. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast below!

New Line Theatre, 'the Bad Boy of Musical Theatre,' created a side identity last season called New Line Theatre Off Line, a framework for the New Line actors to explore other music and theatre projects, including New Line's own unique brand of adult cabaret, and other kinds of performance opportunities, as well as master classes, workshops, and more. New Line actor Mike Dowdy (Forbidden Planet, Spelling Bee, The Wild Party, Evita, Two Gentlemen of Verona, bare, Cry-Baby, High Fidelity, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) heads up the Off Line brand under his title of New Line's Associate Artistic Director.