Exclusive: Chad Beguelin on His Queer, Musical Theatre Rom-Com Novel SHOWMANCE

Chad Beguelin has written a book! Showmance, the debut novel from Beguelin, has just been released from Penguin Random House. Beguelin is known for his work as a lyricist on musicals like The Prom and Aladdin and used some of his personal experiences to craft a heartwarming story that is perfect for Broadway fans.

The novel follows Noah Adams, a playwright in the depths of despair after the premature closing of his latest Broadway musical, Stage of Fools. After a family medical emergency, Noah returns to his rural Illinois hometown where, upon his arrival, he finds himself mounting a community theatre production of the show. 

In the midst of navigating the difficult circumstances of his professional and personal life, Noah comes to a newfound understanding of what is possible for himself and, despite his worst intentions, accidentally finds some sense of appreciation for the residents- including one surprisingly attractive cowhand from his past.

Ahead of the book's publication, BroadwayWorld sat down with Beguelin to discuss his writing process, his connection to the subject material, and whether the novel could ever be musicalized.

This interview has been condensed for clarity and length.

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Why a novel? Did you have any ambitions to write one before starting this project?

When you write a musical, there's so much waiting around, whether you're waiting for everyone's schedule or you're waiting for a theater. I started thinking about writing a novel and how I could just wait on myself. I could decide how fast things would go. I had tried tinkering around with novels in the past and never really had much success.

I had the idea for this, worked on a couple of chapters, and put it away. Then, a couple of years later, I got almost possessed. I just started working on it almost around the clock and just could not stop. It took me about six months to get a draft done. I was constantly waking up in the middle of the night and time would just disappear. It was very freeing because I could work on it whenever I wanted to and as quickly as I wanted to. It was a new sensation for me as a writer.

What was it like to write on your own versus with collaborators?

I completely love collaborating with other people. Usually, you have somebody to bounce ideas off of or discuss plot twists or character development. When you're writing a novel by yourself, you just have your own pokey little brain. I would write a few chapters and then have my husband read it. I had his input first, and then once I finished it, I had the agent's input. When writing lyrics, you have to be very, very precise and there's very little real estate. With this, I could decide to talk about the sky for a minute and then talk about the guy falling in love for a minute. There weren't as many confines. 

How much of Noah’s journey mirrors your own experiences in the theater world?

Noah's experience is very similar to mine. I came from a small town in Illinois. I was obsessed with the community theater there, and they let me write and direct productions starting at 15 and throughout high school. I fell in love with theater the first time I saw a community theater production of Oliver and thought "What is this? I want to do this for the rest of my life!"

I also had a really painful experience with my first musical, which was a show called The Rhythm Club. It went up at the Signature Theatre. We had a Broadway theater already booked and a poster in Shubert Alley, but we got killed out of town by really vicious reviews. So it all fell apart. I could definitely relate to that public shaming and how it was just too embarrassing and painful. I have felt all those things that Noah has felt.

You made a unique choice with Noah in that the story is told from his perspective. How did you navigate the challenge of telling the story through the eyes of someone who, at the beginning of the story, is a very cynical character?

I considered writing it in the third person, but I like the idea of readers being able to get inside his head and feel what he's feeling and think what he's thinking. I tried to make him funny so that he's somewhat likable, but I wanted that to be the journey: the realization that New York or his career has changed him and he has to find the goodness in himself and in other people. I think that's really what it's about. He's judging all these people and thinks he's above them, but they're the ones that save his show and, in a way, save his outlook on life.

What was the biggest challenge of writing a novel, especially as your first?

When I first did a draft, I sent it to my theatrical agent and he sent it to the book agents. They came back and were like, "Chad, you can't have the two love interests kiss in Chapter 3. You have to really feather that in lightly." And the funny thing was, I turned it around in a week. I was so excited to get a strong note like that. As a theater writer, I'm used to getting notes and taking them with no problem. It was very funny because they told me that I didn't have to agree with everything. But they were great notes and I was just so excited to finally have some industry feedback that I was turning in rewrites almost at lightning speed.

Are there any specific novelists or books that you read as you were writing or that were in your head as you were going that influenced your writing style or approach?

I sort of started reading everything in the queer rom-com genre. I really like Alexis Hall who wrote Boyfriend Material and Husband Material. I love Steven Rowley's The Guncle and The Guncle Abroad and Andrew Sean Greer who wrote Less and Less is Lost.

I mostly react to those kind of romcoms when they're funny. If they're too serious, they aren't always for me. I love it if I'm laughing and then all of a sudden I'm hit with a deeper emotion that I wasn't expecting. I'm hoping for this book to have that sort of effect.

As you were writing the lyrics for the songs in Stage of Fools, did you have an idea what the music would sound like? Have you thought about working with a composer to bring the songs to life?

I sort of want to see the reaction to the book. Of course, I'm always thinking it could be a musical. I definitely had an idea of what the feel of each song would be. But it's a good idea. I've never really thought about actually getting a composer and writing some songs.

The ending seems to imply that there could be more stories about Noah down the line. Is there room for a sequel?

Originally I thought, no because I don't want to throw a monkey wrench in this wonderful relationship. But then I started thinking that, if the reactions are good, I definitely could see how there would be more story there to tell.

The theme of second chances is prominent in Showmance, for Noah, his musical, and even his town. What is a second chance you’ve personally received that was especially meaningful?

The musical that I was talking about earlier was a huge turning point. My collaborator, Matthew Sklar, and I said, "Okay. Are we just going to give up? This is so painful and so hard." But we finally decided that we were going to keep doing this, even if I had to keep answering phones and temping for the rest of my life. We had to keep trying. And so getting chosen to do The Wedding Singer on Broadway definitely felt like a second chance. What seemed like a career that was completely done and ruined led to a second shot at Broadway. And then, thankfully, I've had a few more since then. But that always feels like a second chance because we were so close to quitting.

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Showmance by Chad Beguelin is available now. Click HERE to purchase the book. 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos