Mike Dowdy News

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.

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.

I saw the touring production of AMERICAN IDIOT when it played at The Peabody Opera House a while back. I was eager to see it, being a fan of Green Day's music, and this rock opera, in particular. It was a great show, but the one thing that stuck in my mind afterward wasn't the performers, or even the great songs, but instead it was the scenic design. Which brings me to New Line Theatre's intimate production of this extremely tuneful and highly politicized show; a natural for this company to tackle, since they consistently provide fuel-injected presentations of a wide range of material that covers the gamut from neglected newer shows to classics that need some new life pumped into them. It's what they do so extraordinarily well. The disconnect I felt with the touring production vanished in the cozy confines of The Marcelle, and the scenic design wasn't a distraction, instead it became a complement to the anger, frustration, and call to arms that informs this period of terrorism and paranoia in our nation's history. This is a real hit, that genuinely rocks the house! So, get your tickets now.

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre,' continues its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre, with the first local production of the searing rock fable AMERICAN IDIOT, running now through March 26, 2016, at the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre space in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre,' continues its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre, with the first local production of the searing rock fable AMERICAN IDIOT, running now through March 26, 2016, at the company's new home, the Marcelle Theater, the new blackbox theatre space in Grand Center, St. Louis' arts district. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

New Line Theatre, "the bad boy of musical theatre," will present the driving, four-woman rock opera LIZZIE, by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt, in August 2017 to close the company's 2016-2017 season.

New Line Theatre, 'the bad boy of musical theatre,' celebrates its 25th anniversary season of adult, alternative musical theatre, with 25 TO LIFE! an evening of songs from New Line's first twenty-five years, for two nights only, tonight and tomorrow, January 5-6, 2016, at the Sheldon Concert Hall, behind the Fox Theatre in Grand Center.