The Bad Boy Of Musical Theatre

Scott Miller is a busy man. The New Line Theatre Artistic Director is in the final production of his 20th season. The pop musical “bare,” directed by Miller, examines 5 main characters in boarding school who are experiencing various conflicts.

The show has played to rave reviews and runs through June 25 at the South Campus Theatre in Clayton. But that's just the beginning of the Miller juggernaut.

The word “prolific” doesn't seem adequate. Miller has written the book, music and lyrics for nine musicals and two non-musical plays. He's also written five books about musicals available at Amazon with a sixth on the way, one novel, contributed to 5 other books and has composed music for film, television and radio.

His writing has been published in major publications, including Time Magazine, The Washington Post and many others. And he co-hosts a radio program about theatre, with Deborah Sharn, on KDHX-FM in St. Louis.

One wonders if Miller ever sleeps. “I sleep,” Miller said. “I just sleep really odd hours, but I get enough.”

Miller's attachment to the American musical began literally before he can remember. “I have vague memories of seeing shows,” Miller said. “I went to the The Muny every summer with my family. I've loved musicals and wanted to be an actor in musicals from my earliest memories.”

He's never lost that vision. As a student through high school, Miller studied theater and performed in the shows, but he also learned whatever he could about musicals from any source he could find. When he matriculated to Harvard, he also started his first theater in St. Louis with his former high school teacher.

By the time he graduated from Harvard, Miller was well on his way to becoming the scholar that he is today. It would have been natural for him to head to New York, but his attraction to his hometown of St. Louis was too strong.

“I never thought about not returning,” Miller said. “I was always going to come back to St. Louis.”

Miller began leaving his footprints across the theater landscape of St. Louis. He ran CenterStage Theatre Company, was the development director for Dance St. Louis and ran Very Special Arts Missouri, but the day came when he wanted to start his own company with a mission. New Line Theatre was born.

“The first consideration was the company had to deal with social or political issues,” Miller said. “Sometimes it's under the surface, but that goes to our mission statement. Mostly we want to do shows that haven't been done or people haven't seen in a while.”

Miller is adamant that musical theater is a serious art form, and he saw the art form changing. “One of the things we joke about is we produce musicals for people who don't like musicals,” Miller said. “But everything isn't Rodgers and Hammerstein. The world of 'Carousel' doesn't exist in America any more.”

The company's slogan—The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre—refers to the Miller's penchant for producing theater that is controversial and often is not for children.

“We were doing shows that had bad language, sometimes nudity,” Miller said. “We realized nobody else was doing the kinds of shows we were doing. We started joking that we were the bad boy of musical theater. That became our slogan.”

The slogan might just as well apply to Miller himself. Outspoken, headstrong and vocal, he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind to anyone he thinks needs to hear what he thinks, and that includes reviewers. Yet he remains irresistible. The critics love him and his shows.

It's hard to predict what New Line Theatre or Miller will do in the future. Surely there will be more shows, more musicals written by Miller and more books he's written, but his hopes for the future are as streamlined as his career path.

“I hope to keep doing exactly what we're doing,” Miller said. “Producing great, important theatre.”

What: bare, by Damon Intrabartolo and John Hartmere Jr.
When: Through June 25, 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays
Where: New Line Theatre, , 6501 Clayton Rd.
Tickets: Available at all Metrotix outlets, by credit card at the Metrotix website
or by phone at 314-534-111