Between the Lines (musical)

Last updated
Between the Lines
MusicElyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson
LyricsElyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson
Book Timothy Allen McDonald
Basis Between the Lines (novel)
PremiereSeptember 15, 2022: Kansas City Repetory Theatre
Productions2017 Kansas City
2022 Off-Broadway

Between the Lines is a musical based on the novel of the same name, written by Jodi Piccoult, with music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, and a book by Timothy Allen McDonald. The musical follows 17-year-old Delilah as she struggles to balance fitting in at her new school and a romance with a prince who is another world away.

Contents

Productions

Between the Lines had its world premiere production at Kansas City Repetory Theatre. It opened on September 15, 2017, following previews from September 8. It played a limited run to October 1, 2017. [1] [2] Arielle Jacobs played the lead role of Delilah. [3]

The show was scheduled to open Off-Broadway at the Tony Kiser Theatre in May 2020. [4] The production was delayed twice, first to 2021, and then to 2022 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. [5] Between the Lines began previews on June 15, 2022, with an official opening on July 11. [6] It was scheduled to play until October 2, 2022, but closed early on September 11. [7] A cast recording was released on January 13, 2023. [8] [9]

Musical numbers

Synopsis

Act I

Delilah McPhee has just moved to a new high school and is dealing with her parents’ divorce and her father leaving for his second family. On top of this, she becomes a social pariah after injuring the most popular girl in her grade. [10] To deal with the stress and ridicule, Delilah turns to reading on her roof as a means of escape. She becomes entranced with a children’s fairytale called Between the Lines, which documents the story of Prince Oliver defeating his foes to save his betrothed. [11] Delilah thinks that he’s good-looking and relatable and begins talking to him about her problems. During one of her rereads, the word HELP shows up on the page, then disappears before she can get a second look. [12]

She learns that Oliver is forced to relive a damsel-saving tale every time someone opens his book and that he and his other fantastical counterparts spend their lives on-call, waiting for their time to perform for the reader. From then on, Delilah and Oliver “meet” and talk on the only page he is alone so they can be fully open with each other. [13] The characters are not as they seem; the villain, Rapskullio, is kind and gentle and prefers painting butterflies to evil schemes, the seemingly guy-crazed mermaids are all feminists, and Oliver is less than pleased with his ditzy love interest, Princess Seraphima. Oliver wants to escape and live an autonomous life, but Delilah tells him that her world isn’t perfect, either. [14] The two discuss plans to get each other into the other’s world, even asking Rapskullio for help, but nothing seems to work.

Delilah’s classmates and teachers sing about their “inner thoughts”, which include the weight of being popular, a lesbian crush, and a not-so-secret inter-staff relationship. Feeling alone, Delilah calls her dad, who doesn’t answer, and she and her mom end up in a fight that ends in Delilah retreating to her room. [15]

She decides to talk to the school librarian, Ms. Winx, to see if she can provide any guidance. Ms. Winx reveals her literary crush is Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice and says that Delilah should join the creative writing club to make some friends in her world. Jules, another outcast at Delilah’s school and a member of the creative writing club, approaches Delilah, who blows Jules off. [16]

Delilah accidentally injures Allie again after Allie teases her about her book, causing Delilah to be suspended. Simultaneously, Oliver asks Rapskullio again if he can bring Delilah into their book so they can be together. [15] Back in Delilah’s world, she and her mother fight over her suspension and Delilah storms up to the roof to say goodbye to Oliver for good; her life has been destroyed by her obsession and she feels she needs to get a grip. She closes the book, but falls off the roof, and when she awakens, she is inside of Oliver’s story. [17]

Act II

Delilah wakes up in Oliver’s world, where he introduces her to the other characters and takes her to a private place where they kiss. The two have a perfect day, but Delilah meets a group of mermaids who help her realize she can’t just abandon her mother for a fairytale and a man. [18] Delilah knows she needs to get home, so she and Oliver visit Rapskullio again to see if there is any way to get her home and are reminded that the book restarts every time someone opens it. The two share one last dance before she disappears back into the real world.

After waking up hospitalized with a concussion, Delilah and her mom make the first steps in repairing their relationship. She sees that Oliver hasn’t written to her and worries that she’s lost her ability to communicate with him. [19] Heartbroken, Oliver tells her he’s devastated that she’s gone and that he’ll forget about her eventually.

During this whole debacle, Frump, Oliver’s sidekick who gets turned into a dog, is asked by Princess Seraphima what she should do since Oliver doesn’t love her. Frump confesses his love and the two begin a relationship. [20]

It feels like the world is falling apart, not just for Delilah, but for her classmates as well, although they relegate this feeling to their inner thoughts. Realizing she needs someone on her side in the real world, Delilah joins the creative writing club and tells Jules about Oliver. Jules is friendless and identifies as non-binary, so they and Delilah form a sort of camaraderie. [21] Allie and the bullies start up again, but Jules tells her to ignore them and lead her own life. Jules suggests finding Jessamyn Jacobs, the author of Between the Lines, and asking her to rewrite the ending so that Oliver can come out.

Delilah finds her, but Jessamyn tells Delilah that she can’t rewrite the book, she wrote it ages ago to help her son process his father’s passing. Dejected, Oliver and Delilah meet one final time to say their goodbyes, and Delilah worries that there is no path to her own happy ending. [22]

Funnily enough, Delilah discovers that Jessamyn’s son looks exactly like Prince Oliver, and the two start to talk and realize how alike they are. The two fall in love as they begin a new chapter together. [22]

Cast and characters

CharacterOff-Broadway (2022) [6]
Delilah Arielle Jacobs
Prince Oliver Jake David Smith
Ms. Winx/Mrs. Brown/Kyrie/Jessamyn Jacobs/Lady in Waiting Vicki Lewis
Allie McAndrews/Princess SeraphimaHillary Fisher
Ryan/FrumpWill Burton
Janice/MarinaJerusha Cavazos
Dr. Ducharme/RapskullioJohn Rapson
Jules/OndineWren Rivera
Martin/Troll/Process ServerSean Stack
Grace/Queen Maureen Julia Murney
Swings/UnderstudiesHeather Ayers, Dan Hoy, Martin Landry, Aubrey Matalon

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding New Off-Broadway MusicalNominated
Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Musical Vikki Lewis Nominated
Outstanding New ScoreKate Anderson and Elyssa SamselNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Irving</span> American actress and singer

Amy Davis Irving is an American actress and singer, who worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie J. Block</span> American actress and singer (born 1972)

Stephanie Janette Block is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage.

Celia Keenan-Bolger is an American actress and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for portraying Scout Finch in the play To Kill a Mockingbird (2018). She was Tony-nominated for her roles in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005), Peter and the Starcatcher (2012), and The Glass Menagerie (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelli O'Hara</span> American actress and singer (born 1976)

Kelli Christine O'Hara is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages.

<i>Spring Awakening</i> (musical) Rock musical

Spring Awakening is a coming-of-age rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. It is based on the 1891 German play Spring Awakening by Frank Wedekind. Set in late 19th-century Germany, the musical tells the story of teenagers discovering the inner and outer tumult of adolescent sexuality. In the musical, alternative rock is employed as part of the folk-infused rock score.

Joanna Ampil is a musical theatre and film actress from the Philippines and United Kingdom.

Maryann Plunkett is an American actress and singer. Plunkett made her Broadway debut playing Sister Agnes in Agnes of God. In 1987, she won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Smith in Me and My Girl. In addition, she has made appearances in various films and series’ such as Little Women, Manifest, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and Dr. Death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caissie Levy</span> Canadian actress and singer

Caissie Levy is a Canadian-American actress and singer, mainly known for her work in musical theatre on Broadway and in the West End. Her early Broadway credits included Penny Pingleton in Hairspray and Sheila in Hair, a role she also played in the West End. She originated the role of Molly Jensen in the West End and Broadway productions of Ghost: the Musical, and played Fantine in the 2014 Broadway revival of Les Misérables. Levy also originated the role of Elsa in Frozen on Broadway. For her performance on the cast recording of Caroline, or Change, she was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2023. Levy originated the role of Diana Goodman in the London production of Next to Normal and received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zoe Kazan</span> American actress (born 1983)

Zoe Swicord Kazan is an American actress, playwright, and screenwriter. She made her acting debut in the film Swordswallowers and Thin Men (2003) and later acted in films such as The Savages (2007), Revolutionary Road (2008), and It's Complicated (2009). She starred in Happythankyoumoreplease (2010), Meek's Cutoff (2010), Ruby Sparks (2012), What If (2013), The Big Sick (2017), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and She Said (2021). She also wrote Ruby Sparks and co-wrote Wildlife (2018) with her partner Paul Dano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arielle Jacobs</span> American actress and singer

Arielle Jacobs is an American singer and actress, mostly seen on stage in musicals. She is best known for her roles as Nina Rosario in the US Tour and Broadway productions of In the Heights and as Princess Jasmine in the Australian and Broadway productions of Aladdin.

Lauren Tolbert Worsham is an American actress and singer known for her work in the opera and musical theatre. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder. She is also known for being the lead singer of the band Sky-Pony, which has released two albums with original songs titled "Say You Love Me Like You Mean It" and "Raptured Live".

<i>Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812</i> Musical adaptation of Leo Tolstoys War and Peace

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 is a sung-through musical adaptation of a 70-page segment from Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel War and Peace written by composer/lyricist Dave Malloy and directed by Rachel Chavkin. It is based on Part 8 of Tolstoy's novel, focusing on Natasha's romance with Anatole and Pierre's search for meaning in his life.

<i>Fun Home</i> (musical) Musical adapted by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori

Fun Home is a musical theatre adaptation of Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir of the same name, with music by Jeanine Tesori, and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The story concerns Bechdel's discovery of her own lesbian sexuality, her relationship with her closeted gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life. It is told in a series of non-linear vignettes connected by narration provided by the adult Alison character.

<i>Between the Lines</i> (novel) 2012 novel by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Between the Lines is a young adult (YA) fiction novel co-written by the American author Jodi Picoult and her daughter, Samantha Van Leer. Between the Lines is Picoult's first YA novel, and Van Leer's first published work. The novel was published on June 26, 2012, by Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. Picoult and Van Leer authored a sequel called Off the Page, which was released in 2015 by Delacorte Press. Off the Page continues the story of Delilah and Oliver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillipa Soo</span> American actress

Phillipa Anne Soo is an American actress and singer. Known for her leading roles on Broadway primarily in musicals, she has received two Grammy Awards along with nominations for a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenn Colella</span> American singer (born 1974)

Jenn Colella is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a comedian and then branched out into musical theater. In her New York debut in Urban Cowboy, she earned a 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. More recently, she landed a Tony Award nomination, and won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and three regional theater awards for her portrayal of Annette/Beverley Bass in Come from Away. She received a Grammy Award in January 2018 for her role for the Dear Evan Hansen original cast album. See: Awards and nominations

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Stroker</span> American actress and singer (born 1987)

Alyson Mackenzie Stroker is an American actress, author and singer. She is the first actor who uses a wheelchair to appear on a Broadway stage, and also the first to be nominated for and win a Tony Award. Stroker was a finalist on the second season of The Glee Project and later appeared as a guest star on Glee in 2013. She played Anna in Deaf West Theatre's 2015 revival of Spring Awakening, and won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in Oklahoma!

<i>Pretty Woman</i> (musical) Musical production

Pretty Woman is a musical with music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by Garry Marshall and J. F. Lawton. The musical is based on the 1990 film of the same name written by Lawton and directed by Marshall. It centers on the relationship that develops between Vivian Ward, a free spirited Hollywood prostitute, and Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman who hires her for a week to be his escort for several business and social functions.

Nell Benjamin is a lyricist, writer, and composer noted for her work in musical theatre. With her husband and frequent collaborator Laurence O'Keefe, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for writing Legally Blonde in 2011. And in 2007, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score for Legally Blonde, and then again in 2018 for her lyrics for Mean Girls.

<i>The Notebook</i> (musical) Musical based on the novel of the same name

The Notebook is a musical with music and lyrics by Ingrid Michaelson and a book by Bekah Brunstetter. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name, written by Nicholas Sparks. The musical opened on Broadway on March 14, 2024 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

References

  1. ↑ "Between the Lines". KCRep. 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  2. ↑ "Between the Lines (Closed October 01, 2017) | Kansas City | reviews, cast and info | TheaterMania". www.theatermania.com. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  3. ↑ Portner, Alan. "Review: BETWEEN THE LINES at Kansas City Repertory Theatre". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  4. ↑ Mcphee, Ryan (23 September 2019). "Musical Adaptation of Between the Lines Sets Off-Broadway Premiere". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  5. ↑ Clement, Olivia (7 May 2020). "Off-Broadway Musical Between the Lines Postponed to Spring 2021". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  6. 1 2 Putnam, Leah (11 July 2022). "Between the Lines Opens Off-Broadway Run July 11". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  7. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (17 August 2022). "Off-Broadway's Between the Lines Sets September Closing Date". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  8. ↑ Peel, Eli. "Upcoming Cast Recordings". Playbill. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  9. ↑ Harms, Talaura (8 August 2022). "Off-Broadway's Between the Lines Will Record Cast Album". Playbill. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  10. ↑ "Between the Lines | Music Theatre International (mtishows.com)". Bing. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  11. ↑ Dziemianowicz, Joe (2022-07-11). "Between the Lines Review". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  12. ↑ "Between the Lines | Music Theatre International (mtishows.com)". Bing. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  13. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (2022-07-17). "Review: In 'Between the Lines,' Romance Is Thwarted by Reality". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  14. ↑ Dziemianowicz, Joe (2022-07-11). "Between the Lines Review". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  15. 1 2 "Between the Lines | Music Theatre International (mtishows.com)". Bing. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  16. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (2022-07-17). "Review: In 'Between the Lines,' Romance Is Thwarted by Reality". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  17. ↑ "Between The Lines - A New Musical". Between the Lines. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  18. ↑ Dziemianowicz, Joe (2022-07-11). "Between the Lines Review". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  19. ↑ "Between the Lines | Music Theatre International (mtishows.com)". Bing. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  20. ↑ "Between the Lines | Music Theatre International (mtishows.com)". Bing. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  21. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (2022-07-17). "Review: In 'Between the Lines,' Romance Is Thwarted by Reality". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-03-08.
  22. 1 2 "Between the Lines | Music Theatre International (mtishows.com)". Bing. Retrieved 2024-03-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.