title of show
[title of show]It's funny, charming, witty and original.So what is it doing on Broadway?That's a good question to ask about [title of show], the most genuine and unassuming play that has adorned Broadway's stages since…who knows when? Currently in performances at the Lyceum Theater, the little musical that could is doing exactly what it set out to do four years ago – somehow.Written by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, [title of show] is an original musical about two men trying to write an original musical With the deadline for the New Musical Theater Festival only three weeks away, the men put themselves to the test, writing steadily with the help of two of their friends, Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell. They meet the deadline and their show is accepted. After the festival, it moves to an Off-Broadway theater where it enjoys a successful run. But the creators are not finished. They dream of moving their baby to Broadway and will stop at almost nothing to accomplish this - even creating YouTube videos stating that their show is going to Broadway (when that isn't actually, completely, 100% accurate).So it's a show about writing a show. While this self-referential humor could become tiresome or weigh the show's script with obligatory humor, the lighthearted wit of the cast carries the jokes all the way to the back of the balcony. At one point, Jeff addresses Larry, the pianist, who looks dumbfounded at being spoken to. "It's OK, Larry," Jeff says. "We worked it out with the Union so you can talk."Needless to say, irony abounds in this show, which is not just a musical about writing a musical. It's a musical that mocks exactly what it is - a successful Broadway production. Hunter and Jeff aren't just doing what they were dreaming about - they're doing what they were making fun of. Jeff's struggles to begin writing are portrayed in the song "Original Musical," during which Hunter dresses up as the musical and satirizes the current state of Broadway, bluntly revealing its penchant for adaptations of books, films and other plays rather than a truly original work. As the men daydream of success in the song "Part of It All" they list what they will do when they make it big - including, of course, lunch with Bernadette Peters. One wonders if that has happened yet.The characters themselves are not very fleshed out. At times they appear more like charaicatures than actual characters. But they are so accessible, and so adorable, that one can't help but root for them and relate to them. The have the same dream as everyone else out there. "Can you imagine...making a living doing what we love?" Jeff asks Hunter wistfully as they question if their show will be a success. It only adds to the sweetness of the show that these men are doing just that.The summary of the show may ostracize audience members who are not qualified show queens. And many of the show's jokes do resonate more strongly with theater aficionados (a request for Patti LuPone to sing "Rainbow High" into their answering machine is just one example). However, this is not a show strictly for show queens. The moral of the story - working for success and refusing to compromise your standards - is simple, effective, and universal. When the men are working to transfer the show to Broadway, they are asked to change many parts of the script, and even one or two of the actors. These scenes are some of the most effective (and disturbing) of the show. Everyone, regardless of if they are an artist or not, has faced that challenge. And obviously, these men overcame it. The pure honesty of the show is undeniable, as it is its refusal to change itself to fit into the sparkles and glitz of the Great White Way."I'd rather be nine people's favorite things than one hundred people's ninth favorite thing," declares the show's closing number. Judging from the audience's response at the performance this critic attended, the show has already accomplished that.