New Line Presents Regional Premiere of 'High Fidelity'

New Line Theatre, "The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre," closes its seventeenth season of provocative, adult, alternative musical theatre with the regional premiere of the new rock musical HIGH FIDELITY, based on the world-famous novel by Nick Hornby and the film starring John Cusack and Jack Black, running June 12-July 5, 2008, at the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre, in the Mallinckrodt Building at Washington University, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., between Skinker and Big Bend.
 
Fresh from its Broadway run, New Line is the first company outside New York to produce this smart, funny show about America's new Lost Generation and the music they live their lives to. 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.
 
This is a story not just told with music but about music, written by people who genuinely love rock and roll, and based on the novel that defined once and for all the relationship between rock and the lives of its fans. This is a show whose main character Rob sings in the voices of his Rock Gods. Their voices become his. Their music is the soundtrack of his life. It's a story about experiencing music autobiographically, about the incredible personal 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.

Seen -- and heard -- through the mind of its hero Rob, HIGH FIDELITY tells the sad-funny tale of 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?" He has to figure out if he listens to pop music because he's miserable of if he's miserable because he listens to pop music. The story starts with the breakup of the most recent in a long string of failed relationships, and Rob has to grow up and learn (with a little help from Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen) to take life and love as seriously as he takes his music, to sometimes put others ahead of himself. For more about the show, visit www.newlinetheatre.com/hifipage.html
 
Variety said of the show, "High Fidelity is a musical that celebrates the power of pop culture with wit, verve and a killer beat. . . It's really about growing up while still honoring one's self-defining music." Michael Kuchwara of the Associated Press said, "Its charms are considerable and don't be surprised if you fall under its spell."
 
The cast includes Jeffrey M. Wright (Rob), Kimi Short (Laura), Aaron Lawson (Dick), Zachary Allen Farmer (Barry), Robb Kennedy (Ian), Nikki Glenn (Liz), Mary C. Crouch, Amanda Densmore, Patrick Donnigan, Joel Hackbarth, Andrew T. Hampton, Todd Micali, Katie Nestor, Margeau Baue Steinau, and Lori White. The production staff includes Scott Miller (director), Robin Michelle Berger (choreographer), Trisha Bakula (stage manager), David Carr and Jeffery Breckel (set designers), Michael Bergfeld (lighting designer) and Amy Kelly (costume designer).
 
New Line Theatre is a professional company dedicated to involving the people of the St. Louis region in the exploration and creation of innovative, provocative, socially and politically relevant works of musical theatre. New Line receives funding from the Regional Arts Commission, the Fox Associates Foundation, and the Missouri Arts Council. For more about New Line, go to www.newlinetheatre.com/contact.html

HIGH FIDELITY runs June 12-July 5, 2008, on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., in the A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre, in the Mallinckrodt Building at Washington University, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., between Skinker and Big Bend. June 12 is a preview, and yes, there will be a performance on July 4.  For Thursday night performances, tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. On Friday and Saturday nights, tickets are $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. Tickets are on sale now through all Metrotix outlets, including Macy's stores, the Fox Theatre, and select Schnucks stores, or by calling 314-534-1111. Most New Line performances sell out, so get your tickets early! This show contains adult language and content.

New Line Theatre also announces the creation of the New Line Free Seats, ten seats put aside for every performance, free to anyone with a valid college student ID. One ticket per ID. The New Line Free Seats will be available on performance nights only, at the theatre box office, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:55 p.m.

For other information, visit New Line Theatre's full-service website at www.newlinetheatre.com. All programs are subject to change.