NRACT's Fast, Witty Between the Lines Is a Delight

The assertion that "There is nothing new under the sun" definitely does not apply to productions at the North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre! Their current production of Between the Lines is brand new and unlike anything that you have ever seen.

It's a fish-out-of-water story; it's a coming-of-age-story; it's a be-true-to-yourself story; it's a story about the ability of art to create, to recreate, and to heal....

Borrowing from the expression "Read between the lines," it's a story that offers its own mantra: "Live the story you want, if it's not the story you're in" and urges us to "Live between the lines."

With music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel & Kate Anderson and book by Timothy Allen McDonald', Between the Lines is based on a 2012 novel by Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer. First performed in Kansas City in 2017; its 2020 Off-Broadway opening was "COVID-delayed" until 2022.

Directed by Mike McGee, with choreography by Molly Hamelin and musical direction by Mary Kathryn Walston, and with scenic and lighting design by Kylee Elrod, NRACT's production looks and sounds fantastic.

The Play:

Seventeen-year-old Delilah is having to deal with some issues. Her parents are newly divorced; she is a new student in a new town; and she is being ostracized by the popular kids, because she accidentally caused an injury to their ringleader. To top it off, her father has stopped paying the rent; and she and her mother receive a letter of eviction.

A bookworm by nature, Delilah finds a place for herself while reading her newly discovered favorite book, a children's fairytale called Between the Lines. She falls in love with its hero, Prince Oliver. The book's cast of characters also includes a clueless Princess, a mean queen, a troll, three mermaids, a villain/magician, and a man who has been half turned into a dog.

At the end of Act One, an unfortunate fall transports Delilah into the world of the book, where she spends the first part of Act Two and actually meets, dances with, and kisses Prince Oliver. But she realizes that she must return to "her world." She wakes up in a hospital with a concussion and a determination to improve her life.

The Acting, Singing, and Dancing:

With the exception of Delilah, every actor who plays characters that we meet in the "real world" has at least one character in the "fairytale world." And every actor deserves kudos for creating their contrasting personalities.

Delilah is the central character, but this entire cast is the very definition of an "ensemble cast." They act, move, and sing with incredible precision. Voices blend in sweet harmonies; the stichomythia is well-executed; and counter-melodies complement each other at appropriate volumes. Dialogue transitions smoothly into solos, duets, and company numbers; and dance routines always seem to be a perfect outgrowth of the prior non-dance blocking.

As Delilah, Krystin Bailey is a "darling." She captures and keeps the heart of every audience member.

Kelley Keats nails both of her roles -- Grace (Delilah's mother) and (the evil and alcoholic) Queen Maureen. Understandably harried, overwhelmed, and stressed, Grace still cares very much for her daughter. And Maureen is just plain funny.

Regarding Nicky Taylor's Prince Oliver, "innocence" and "earnestness" are the adjectives that come to mind.

Megan Hoggarth has no trouble investing Princess Seraphima with what I will call "air-headed self-centeredness." And Hoggarth's Allie is "bitchy, bossy, and cruel."

Sky Symonds (as Jules and Ondine) and Nicole Montijo (as Janice and Marina) are both delightful.

Zachary Schultz strikes the right keys for Ryan (Allie's "Neanderthal boyfriend") and for Frump (the bewitched man-dog).

Jamaurie Walker is just right for Martin, and his Troll is cute (for a troll).

Jay Zadeh has the all-business veneer for Dr. Ducharme (and an appropriate underside). And his Rapskullio is a scream (but not in the sense that you would expect for a villain).

Last but not least, we have Susan Jordan Shank, who plays about five different roles (including Ms. Winx and Lady-in-Waiting) and seems to have something between a dozen and a score costume changes. Every one of her characters are crowd-pleasers.

The Tech:

Whatever Tony®-ish Award NRACT might have for technical theater, scenery/lighting designer Kylee Elrod deserves it! Her set is a major success -- imaginative and functional. The cast and crew also earn an "assist" for their brisk execution of tightly choreographed scene changes. Elrod's lighting plot complements the set and the changes nicely.

Tracey Iliffe deftly handled the task of outfitting inhabitants of a "real world" and a "fairytale world." Many of the fairytale costumes were quite lavishly done.

Sound designer Kristen Stinnett, props master Callie Hammond, and stage manager Shereatha Terry all contributed well to the finished product.

Nice Touches:

• Having Rapskullio deliver the "curtain speech."
• The suggestions of bookshelves on the walls of the set AND on the front of the stage.
• The use of projections when Delilah is looking at her book.
• A certain pair of glasses worn by one of Susan Shanks' characters.
• The use of cell phones for spotlights during the "private thoughts" sequence.
• The "ding" sound-effect accompanying the display of dimples.
• The combination of bubbles and smoke at one point.
• The mermaid costumes (and the mermaids themselves)
• Giving CPR to a butterfly.
• The clever literary allusions (and there are several!)

Memorable Lines:

• "Can't live with 'em; can't legally drown 'em!"
• "It's how I was written."

• "Why do you keep treating me like I'm neutered?"
• "That's one child I would like to see left behind!"
• "Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's not true!"
• "I would give anything to change my story."
• "All the criteria for social Siberia."

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

It might be because I'm a little dense, but I didn't quite grasp that Delilah had fallen from the roof at the end of the first act; it took a little while into the second act for that to become clear to me.

In the hospital scene, Delilah is wearing her own t-shirt. Perhaps, she should have been clothed in a hospital gown.

Not a complaint, but I would like to have seen the book find its way onto a shelf near the end.

The Bottom Line:

If musical theater is your cup of tea, you really cannot do better than NRACT's Between the Lines.

It has songs that are well sung, impressive movement that is well executed, witty lines, and a premise that is worth pondering (if on a metaphorical level). In short, Between the Lines has every characteristic that you expect from a Broadway type musical.

The pacing is swift, the scene changes never slow things down, and I guarantee that you will be impressed by the imaginative scenic design.

To Be Clear: I recommend catching this show. However, there are places where the sentimentality is a little overwhelming, so have a tissue or two handy.

Elyssa Samsel & Kate Anderson and Timothy Allen McDonald's BETWEEN THE LINES (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23-25 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1), based on the 2012 novel by Jodi Picoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer, directed by Mike McGee, and choreographed by with music director Mary Kathryn Walston, and starring Krystin Bailey as Delilah, Nicky Taylor as Prince Oliver, Kelley Keats as Grace/Queen Maureen, Megan Hoggarth as Allie McAndrews/Princess Seraphima, Sky Symonds as Jules/Ondine, Zachary Schultz as Ryan/Frump, dance captain Nicole Montijo as Janice/Marina, Jamaurie Walker as Martin/Troll, Susan Jordan Shank as Ms. Winx/Lady in Waiting/et al., and Jay Zadeh as Dr. Ducharme/Rapskullio, plus Grace/Ms. Winx/et al. understudy Lindsey Atkins (North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre in Raleigh). LIBRETTO: https://issuu.com/mtivault/docs/betweenthelines_libvb?fr=sNmU1ODY4MzE2Mjk. PRESENTER/VENUE: https://www.nract.org/, http://www.facebook.com/NRACT, http://instagram.com/nract_raleigh, https://twitter.com/NRACT_raleigh, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ifc8evvO-kGDgGFXq3Fww. 2023-24 SEASON: https://www.nract.org/shows. DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/. ACCESSIBILITY: https://www.nract.org/accessibility. BETWEEN THE LINES (2022 Off-Broadway musical): https://betweenthelinesmusical.com/, https://www.mtishows.com/between-the-lines-0, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/6861, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Between_the_Lines_(musical). ELYSSA SAMSEL (music and lyrics): https://www.samselanderson.com/, https://www.mtishows.com/user/1252163, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/elyssa-samsel-537202, and http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/53053. KATE ANDERSON (music and lyrics): https://www.samselanderson.com/, https://www.mtishows.com/user/1251609, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/kate-anderson-537203, and http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/53054. TIMOTHY ALLEN McDONALD (book): https://chancetheatre.com/artists/timothy-allen-mcdonald-2/, https://www.mtishows.com/people/timothy-allen-mcdonald, and http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/53001. TICKETS: $23.31 ($21.45 students and teachers, seniors, and active-duty military personnel), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-866-0228 or ops@nract.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre.

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