Bakehouse Theatre Presents Premiere Production, [title of show], at Adelaide Fringe

During this year's Adelaide Fringe Festival the Bakehouse Theatre will be introduced to the magical world of the Broadway musical. Situated on Angas Street, the intimate Bakehouse Theatre is only a five-minute walk from the Garden of Unearthly Delights and a hive of activity during the fringe, with over 20 shows on offer. In its long and colourful history, no musical has ever been presented at the Bakehouse - especially not a musical that's been seen on a Broadway stage! But all that is about to change... (drum roll, please!)

You probably don't know of any of the actors in this show. There aren't any "traditional characters", just four performers in everyday clothes doing almost-everyday things (except for breaking into song, of course!) You probably haven't even heard of this Tony-nominated musical. This is certainly no Lion King or Wicked or Cats; the set is just four mismatched chairs and a piano. However, this show does have a devoted worldwide following, who are affectionately known as [tos]sers.

A hilarious, self-referential peek into the creation of a Broadway show, [title of show] is a musical comedy about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical. It is also a true story based on itself and truly embodies what the Adelaide Fringe is all about - showcasing original and new art to the public, but focusing on the personalities of the art itself (and not the flashy sets and costumes).

[title of show] is written by best friends, Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, and follows their journey as two nobodies in New York who long to make their mark in the world of musical theatre. They hear about the New York Musical Theatre Festival, but with the submission deadline only three weeks away the boys worry about what they can write in that time. With nothing to lose (except time otherwise spent watching trashy TV shows and internet porn), they decide to enlist the help of their friends Susan, Heidi and Larry to create a completely original musical. They make a pact to just keep writing until the deadline and submit whatever they have on paper to the festival.

Throughout the show they suffer writer's block, fight metaphorical vampires, dream about the show changing their lives, and learn valuable lessons about themselves as people, artists, and friends. A post-modern homage to the tradition of backstage musicals like 42nd Street, Kiss Me Kate, The Producers, and A Chorus Line, [title of show] is, above all, a love letter to musical theatre and the joys of collaboration.

Presented by Irregular Productions, this South Australian premiere will be directed by Hayley Horton with musical direction by Peter Johns. The all-singing, all-dancing, all-Australian, all-South Australian cast features Scott Reynolds as Hunter, Rod Schultz as Jeff, Claire McEvoy as Heidi and Amy Nagesh as Susan.

"I first fell in love with [title of show] six years ago and have been looking for the opportunity to stage it ever since," says producer and musical director Peter Johns. "While you may not have heard of any of the performers, I am excited to be collaborating with a group of my favourite Adelaide actors. We feel very lucky and privileged to be producing the first musical in the beautiful Bakehouse Theatre, a building with a proud tradition of supporting emerging artists and risk taking theatre."

Following very successful Off-Broadway and Broadway runs, [title of show] has been performed all over the world; now it is Adelaide's turn! Performances are at 9pm each night from the 17th to the 21st of February 2015, with a 3pm matinee on the 21st. Runtime is 90 minutes (with no interval - patrons are advised to know their bodies well!).

Please note that [title of show] is not really recommended for teenyboppers under 15; it includes moderate levels of bad language, sexy themes and gratuitous use of theatre-isms.

www.titleofshow2015.com
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