Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The new musical adaptation of BETWEEN THE LINES charms despite its derivative traits

• By drediman
• July 13, 2022
• No Comments

Earlier this week, the stage adaptation of Between the Lines opened Off-Broadway at the Tony Kiser Theater (usually the home of Second Stage’s productions). The new musical is based on the young adult novel of the same name by the mother-and-daughter writing team of Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer, which tells the story of Delilah, a high schooler who comes across a fantasy book that takes over her life and literally engulfs her in its fairytale world (think Mean Girls meets The NeverEnding Story).

The pleasant score by Elyssa Samuel and Kate Anderson hits all the right notes but veers on the generic side, and the book by Timothy McDonald efficiently translates the novel via a formulaic musical theater vernacular. Despite the overarching air of familiarity – in both form and content, Between the Line may strike some as derivative of many a musical – the work is hard not to like and is by and large charming and sassy in equal measure. The whole thing is packaged competently and handsomely by director Jeff Calhoun, who seems to be grooming it for Broadway.

The cast does an admirable job of animating Picoult and van Leer’s dual worlds. Leading the way are Arielle Jacobs and Jake David Smith, whose portrayals of Delilah and her arguably make-believe princely love interest are sweet if not necessarily memorable. Faring somewhat better are their elders, namely stage veterans Vicki Lewis and Julia Murney, a pair of distinctive and vividly comic musical theater actresses who shine in a number of roles.

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BETWEEN THE LINES
Off-Broadway, Musical
Tony Kiser Theater
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through October 2