Congrats to everyone at [title of show]!

Currently playing at the Vineyard Theatre (see my previous posts here, here, here, here, here, and here), [title of show] has been extended to April 9. I'm sure the rave reviews it has been getting haven't hurt!

Here is an exerpt from February 27 New York Times review by Charles Isherwood:

Calling all show queens! Or, if you prefer to be more formally addressed, may I have your attention, please, devoted aficionados of musical theater? Have I got a show for you!

Actually the guys who've got a show for you are Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, the authors, stars and, strange to say, subject matter of the cheekily titled "[title of show]," which opened last night at the Vineyard Theater. Mr. Bowen and Mr. Bell have concocted a zesty, sweet, Broadway-trivia-riddled musical about the anxiety and excitement of creating a zesty, sweet, Broadway-trivia-riddled musical about the anxiety and excitement of creating a...

Yikes! Navel-gazing can be contagious, and in "[title of show]" Mr. Bowen and Mr. Bell raise this activity to the level of -- well, if not art, then delectable entertainment. Directed and choreographed with smarts and pizazz by the veteran Broadway hoofer Michael Berresse, this little musical about the making of the little musical you're watching could be accused of being self-conscious to the point of self-devouring. But self-referentiality is the new black, isn't it? Today's television, awash in shows that allow people to watch people impersonating themselves, is a virtual hall of mirrors, after all. And at least "[title of show]" is, in part, about the tribulations of actual creativity.

With a deadline for submitting entries to a musical-theater festival three weeks away, the show's central characters, Jeff and Hunter, chronically aspiring New Yorkers who bear an unmistakable resemblance to the actor-authors Mr. Bowen and Mr. Bell, interrupt a casual stream of phone gossip to jump-start their idling artistic collaboration.

"Hey, what if the first scene was just us talking about what to write?" says Hunter.

"Wait, so everything I say from now on could actually be in our show?"

"Yeah!"

"Like this?"

"Like this."

"And this?"

"And this."

There's a pause as, with subdued excitement and disbelief, Jeff awakes with awe to the unexpected ease of the artistic endeavor. "So I can say 'Wonder Woman for president' and it'll get in our show?"

"Sure!"

Don't roll your eyes just yet. What may sound arch or silly in theory is surprisingly charming onstage, thanks to the cockeyed humor of the writing and the pretense-free performances. Mr. Bell, who wrote the book, is goofy-boyish and naturally sweet. Mr. Bowen, author of the music and lyrics, is Chelsea-boyish and naturally dry. They and their equally likable female co-stars, the deliciously mordant Susan Blackwell and the genial Heidi Blickenstaff, play their Pirandellian games with the innocence of kids cavorting in a sandbox.

Fanciful metatheatrics aside, "[title of show]" is at heart a postmodern homage to the grand tradition of backstage musicals like "Babes in Arms," "Kiss Me, Kate" and "A Chorus Line," and its miniature size (four nicely assorted actors, four oddly assorted chairs and a keyboard onstage) is a telling reflection of how the old-school Broadway musical has become something of a niche product.

The more knowledgeable you are about the lore of this product, the more you'll enjoy "[title of show]." In one of Mr. Bowen's songs, the boys fervently sing of wanting to be "part of it all," all including opening nights at Tavern on the Green, having their sheet music on sale in Shubert Alley and "lunch with Bernadette."

But Bernadette Peters is just the tip of an iceberg of Broadway references, both arcane and up-to-the-minute. How inside-showbiz are we talking? Here's a test: The potential availability of Emily Skinner for a role in the show constitutes a major dramatic turning point in the plot.

If you had to rack your brain to recall who Ms. Skinner is -- and particularly if you came up empty -- perhaps this is not the musical for you. On the other hand, if you are familiar with her oeuvre (a Tony nomination for "Side Show," regular appearances in the Encores! revivals at City Center), it should probably be on your list. And if you are among those who will delight in he vocal cameos from the likes of Victoria Clark and Marin Mazzie, or smile knowingly at allusions to Broadway turkeys like "Kwamina" and "Henry, Sweet Henry," it should go right to the top of that list. (In any case, you've probably seen every other musical on a New York stage already.)

Now I agree, it is a fabulous show. But I've noticed that there exists a point of view (see NY Times above) that claims this show is only for theatrical fanatics (aka "show queens") who can get every single reference, nuance and inside joke. I beg to differ.

The overall theme of the show to me is about having the guts and the nerve to create something and put it out there, and then what the heck do you do once it succeeds...that is pretty universal. And the device of having the show about writing the show so that whatever they say is in the show (and so on and so on...) is so clever and fun in and of itself that it can be enjoyed on that basis alone. Sort of a Back to The Future thrill...

Yes, there is plenty of inside stuff. And even despite my own theatrical fanaticism I don't get every joke or reference. But I never got every single reference in Denis Miller's rants either, but I always enjoyed the ride! The way the show is written and the way the performers deliver make it extremely accessible in my opinion. Hey maybe if you are merely an average theatre patron you might learn something you didn't know. Or maybe Hunter and Jeff could publish a [title of show] study guide, a sort of glossary or Cliff notes they could hand out pre-show, or put up on their Web site...

The show is really terrific, and the performances are so engaging that I'd hate anybody to miss it because they were afraid they wouldn't get it.

So...go get it! ;-)

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