Theater Thursday - Between the Lines

What: Between the Lines 

Where: Tony Kiser Theater 305 W. 43rd St. New York, NY 

Who: Recommended for Ages 13 and Up

Me - Between the Lines the musical was absolutely magical. The show is based on the book of the same name written by the best-selling author Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer. I loved almost everything about the show. It tells the story of a young girl who is having trouble finding her place in her school, and in the world. She reads as a way to escape her problems. When she becomes obsessed with a fairy tale, she is shocked to discover that the characters in the book are living a whole different life when the book is closed. Then one day, the prince from the story starts talking to her. 

Many changes were made from the book to the stage, but I found that most of the changes worked very well. There were also a lot of similarities to the book including many lines taken directly from the book which is something I really appreciated. 

The set is another detail that makes this show special. It was definitely one of my favorites out of any show I've ever seen. I love the way they used projections and different doors to really bring the fairy tale to life. The costumes were great as well. A lot of them were really beautiful, especially the costumes the fairies wore, which were some of my favorites. 

The songs were another one of the best parts of the show. I absolutely love just about every song. I really hope they record an album at some point because I would definitely want to get it. I know I would listen to it non-stop. 

Arielle Jacobs was incredible in the lead role of Delilah McPhee, and Jake David Smith was perfect for his role of Prince Oliver. The rest of the cast was amazing as well. I was even able to have seen a few of the understudies in several roles, and they were terrific as well. 

I  also had the pleasure of meeting a few of the cast members, as well as Jodi Picoult, after the show, and they were all just as lovely as I had hoped they would be. When I told Arielle Jacobs how much the show means to me, she asked me my name and signed a personalized message on my playbill, which was one of the coolest things to ever happen to me. She also complimented the dress I was wearing, which made me feel really good. When I told Jodi Picoult how much the show means to me, she signed a personalized message on my copy of the book, Between the Lines, she spelled my name wrong, but I don’t really mind because it’s still just as amazing that she did that for me. 

The fact that the people involved with the show go out of their way to be so nice makes me love the show even more. Both the show and the book Between the Lines really mean a lot to me, because Delilah is a character that I can very much relate to in a lot of ways. I have been fortunate enough to have seen the show five times already, and I am hoping to see it as many more times as possible before it closes on October 2nd. I can not possibly recommend this show enough. I really hope that the show goes to Broadway so that even more people will get the opportunity to see this incredible show. 

Mom -  As a big fan of Jodi Picoult, I was excited to see the stage adaption of Between the Lines, a book she wrote with her daughter when her daughter was a teenager. I originally read the book the show was based on years ago when it was published. I enjoyed it, but I didn't think too much about it afterward.  I was excited to see the show, however. 

After I saw the show, it became special to me. I felt a connection to the authors of the book because I too write with my teenage daughter. The relationship between the mother and daughter in the show is very real and healthy. Usually, mothers in shows are either evil, pushy, or extremely eccentric. Very often the daughter ends up parenting herself and sometimes even her mother as well. Delilah's mother, Grace, however, is a good mother who cares about her daughter, but she has her own issues to deal with and sometimes just life and getting by keeps them from connecting in the way that they should. However, ultimately Grace is always there for her daughter.

However, it's more than just the mother-daughter relationship that makes this show special. You hardly ever see shows about teenage girls in general and when you do they are not very realistic. A common theme is a teenage girl who for whatever reason is not popular but by the end of the show becomes popular and magically all her problems disappear. Real life is not like that, however.

Delilah, the main character of Between the Lines is a very realistic girl with very real problems despite the fairy tale aspects of the plot. She is socially awkward. She is more at home with her books than other people. She is the target of bullies not because she is trying to take over the social hierarchy but simply because of the way she is. She is a character so many young girls can relate to in so many ways. 

In the end,  the things that set Delilah apart turn out to be her strengths, and she gains confidence in herself and begins to develop these strengths. This is an extremely good lesson for young girls. and a much better and more realistic message than the ending of the book (although as I previously mentioned I did enjoy the book and a little fantasy now and then never hurt anyone). However, the show is much more relatable, and that is why so many young girls like my daughter are drawn to it, it gives them hope and not hope that a fairy tale prince is going to sweep them off their feet but hope that if Delilah can survive and thrive maybe they can too.

Despite its attraction for young girls, however, the show is not only for young girls. It is extremely well-acted. It has an entertaining plot that aside from its serious side is also full of delightful humor. It is full of catchy memorable songs. It is a show that can be enjoyed by anyone. 

And that's our view. Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits: 

All Between the Lines production photos by Matthew Murphy