High Fidelity at New Line Theatre

In 2008, New Line brought back to life the extraordinary rock musical HIGH FIDELITY after its disappointing run in New York. The St. Louis production was the first after Broadway and it was welcomed with a sold-out run and rave reviews. And because of its success here, other productions were soon mounted around the country.

Now New Line Theatre brings HIGH FIDELITY back to St. Louis, to close out its 21st season, running May 31-June 23, 2012. Based on the famous novel by Nick Hornby and the film starring John Cusack and Jack Black, this is a smart, funny show about America's new Lost Generation and the music they live their lives to. With lyrics by Amanda Green and music by Tom Kitt (Next to Normal), this is a genuine rock and roll score, peppered with musical references to some of the great rock and pop artists of our time, the muscular American rock sound of Bruce Springsteen, the raw rage of Guns N' Roses, the Eastern experiments of George Harrison and The Beatles, the intellectual playfulness of The Talking Heads , the fierce defiance of Aretha Franklin, the smoky groove of Percy Sledge, the naked emotion of Ben Folds, the driving cynicism of Billy Joel.

HIGH FIDELITY is a story about experiencing music autobiographically, about the incredible connection Americans feel to the pop music of their times, with music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Amanda Green (daughter of legendary lyricist Adolph Green), and a book by one of the hottest young playwrights in New York, David Lindsay-Abaire.

HIGH FIDELITY tells the sad-funny tale of Rob, a thirty-something, indie record store owner who knows everything there is to know about music but nothing about holding on to girlfriends. As he says in the novel, "I've spent nearly thirty years of my life listening to people singing about broken hearts. And has it helped me any? Has it f*ck." The story starts with the breakup of the most recent in a long string of failed relationships, and Rob has to learn (with a little help from Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen) to take life and love as seriously as he takes his music.