HEATHERS Kicks Off New Line's 25th Season Tonight

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).

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."

It's September, 1989, and Westerberg High is terrorized by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing junta: Heather, Heather and Heather, the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. But brainy misfit Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new boyfriend, the damaged new stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in their place. For good. Deliciously, wickedly funny, weirdly romantic, and occasionally powerful, this is a surprisingly truthful fable for anyone who's ever been in love, in trouble, or in high school.

And today, in this era of bullying and school shootings, the satire of HEATHERS takes on a powerful new relevance. As a 2014 Atlantic article said, " Heathers has the courage to sympathize with a psychopath who exposes how dangerous it can be when fads and gossip are more influential than basic decency." Today the original movie, released a full decade before Columbine, seems weirdly prescient. And the musical adaptation takes on this weight of our more recent history, without ever losing its satiric touch or its outrageous comedy, in songs like "I Love My Dead Gay Son."

USA Today wrote about the musical, "As the true motives of Veronica's new beau, J.D., become clearer, and the couple's relationship more intense, Murphy and O'Keefe ask that we also consider them, and their classmates - even the more despicable ones - as human beings." Variety said, "The show still deals with the serious issues that gave the movie its cutting edge: school bullying, teen sexuality, campus shootings, bomb threats and suicide epidemics. After 25 years of horrific school violence, J.D.'s terrorist persona and homicidal activities are actually more chilling today than they were when the movie came out."

The cast of New Line's HEATHERS includes Anna Skidis (Veronica), Evan Fornachon (J.D.), Sicily Mathenia (Heather Chandler), Cameisha Cotton (Heather Duke), Larissa White (Heather McNamara), Grace Seidel (Martha Dunnstock), Omega Jones (Ram Sweeney), Clayton Humburg (Kurt Kelly), Brenda Bass, Kevin Corpuz, Colin Dowd, Alex Glow, Joel Hackbarth, Lindsey Jones, Chris Kernan, and Victoria Valentine. The show is directed by Scott Miller and Mike Dowdy, with music direction by Jeffrey Richard Carter, choreography by Robin Michelle Berger, scenic design by Rob Lippert, costume design by Sarah Porter, sound design by Benjamin Rosemann, and lighting design by Kenneth Zinkl.

Heathers contains adult language and content.

New Line founder and artistic director Scott Miller says, "It's definitely mind-blowing to realize that New Line has been around for 25 years and produced 74 musicals! I couldn't be prouder of this upcoming 25th season, which embodies everything New Line is about. And what a thrill to open the season this fall in our brand new blackbox theatre, created by Ken and Nancy Kranzberg specifically for us and the kind of work we do, We can't wait for everyone to see the new space. It's going to be such a great season!"

New Line will also continue its TALK-BACKS onstage, on Tuesday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. Details will be on the website. All the talk-backs are also posted to YouTube. For each show, the New Liners also blog about our creative process, taking you behind the scenes of every New Line production, from first rehearsal to closing night. Details on the website.

HEATHERS runs October 1-24, 2015, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings, at 8:00 p.m., at the new Marcelle Theater, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive (63103), just three blocks east of Grand, in Grand Center. October 1 is a preview. See the New Line website for directions. Tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for students/seniors on Fridays and Saturdays; and only $20 for adults and $15 for students/seniors on Thursdays. For other information, visit New Line Theatre's full-service website at www.newlinetheatre.com. All programs are subject to change.

"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).

HIGH SCHOOL DISCOUNT: Any student with a valid school ID can get a $10 ticket at any performance, with the code word for that show, which will be posted on New Line's Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/NewLineTheatre.

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

EDUCATORS AND MILITARY DISCOUNT: New Line offers all currently employed educators and all active duty military personnel half price tickets on any Thursday night, with work ID or other proof of employment. Not valid in connection with other discounts or offers, available only at the door, and subject to availability.

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

ABOUT NEW LINE THEATRE

New Line Theatre is a professional company dedicated to involving the people of the St. Louis region in the exploration and creation of daring, provocative, socially and politically relevant works of musical theatre. New Line was created back in 1991 at the vanguard of a new wave of nonprofit musical theatre just starting to take hold across the country. New Line has given birth to several world premiere musicals over the years and has brought back to life several shows that were not well served by their original New York productions. Altogether, New Line has produced 74 musicals since 1991, and the company has been given its own entry in the Cambridge Guide to American Theatre and the annual Theater World. New Line receives funding from the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

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