Artistic integrity, self-doubt and dreams vs stability resonate in this musical about making musicals.
Making a musical is hard. Writing a successful one? Even harder. A lot of self-doubt, anxiety and inner battles can happen in that process. Is that interesting to watch, though?
This (Title of Show)’s adaptation tries to be entertaining. It’s a complicated answer whether it is or not. Based on an original Broadway production performed at the Vineyard Theatre on Broadway in 2006, this energetic stage production is set in New York. Two struggling writers, Jeff and Hunter, want to submit an original script for a new theatre festival. They have three weeks to complete the task. And what do they come up with? A musical about the making of a musical.
Naturally, what follows are constant meta references. About the writing process, the rehearsals and tests, and then the production of said material. Although the concept is interesting to play with, the execution of it doesn’t justify its 90-minute runtime. There’s only so much you can do with four chairs, five charismatic performers and one piano. The songs can be either clever or forced, as well as the jokes. And I wonder how well the jests land with non-writers and casual theatre fans. They are so specific to the act of writing that I feel, for better or for worse, can alienate outsiders instead of bringing them in. The same pendulum logic happens whenever the play breaks the fourth wall. At first, it felt like a breath of fresh air, but after three or four times when they mentioned they were making a musical about a musical, I wanted to scream, “Yes, we know!”.
Again, the formula repeats itself with the songs, bringing in mixed results. Is it funny enough to use it as the basis of a three-minute song? Not really.
However, when things do come into place, the stage shines. The performers are all extraordinary singers, dancers and actors, doing their best with what they are given. Particularly, the girls steal the show. At one point, they preach to my choir in their solo song, “Secondary Characters”, where they mention that “secondary characters are calling the shots”. Abbie Budden and Mary Moore are so charismatic in their roles as Heidi and Susan that they can’t help but steal the spotlight. As for the leads, they do have their moment of grace. Near the end of the play, Jeff and Hunter reminisce on the nature of art and why to write in the first place. It’s so easy to forget that when immersed in the business side of entertainment, something that I’m sure a lot of people will resonate with when watching this play. And both Jacob Fowler and Thomas Oxley nail this emotional scene.
So it begs the question, is a musical about the writing process of a musical worth watching? While its runtime could’ve been shortened, removing some obnoxious puns and cutting down some cringe-worthy songs, tunes like “Die Vampire, Die!”, as well as the resonant and dark commentary on how hard it is to be an artist, do justify its existence.