Review Roundup- [title of show] at the George St. Playhouse

[title of show] is a musical comedy for anyone who has followed a dream. When two struggling writers make a commitment to write something new in three weeks, they quickly find that writing a comedy about the process of writing was more interesting than anything else they could write! A show about four friends taking risks, creating art, killing Vampires (the dream-destroying kind, not the Dracula kind) - and how relationships change when life happens.

[title of show] features music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen and a book by Hunter Bell. The production is directed by Matt Lenz with musical direction by Jesse Vargas.

Anita Gates, The New York Times: "Also on the plus side, Mr. Bowen's music and lyrics are generally hummable, playful and bouncy, especially Susan and Heidi's opportunity-grabbing duet ‘Secondary Characters.' (‘The secondary characters are singing a song/While the stars are snacking offstage.') And there is one sweet, poignant number, ‘A Way Back to Then,' in which Heidi wistfully recalls a childhood of Kool-Aid mustaches, dancing in the backyard and ‘hearing Andrea McArdle sing from the hi-fi in the den. I've been waiting my whole life to find a way back to then.'" 

Charles Paolino, mycentraljersey.com: "'[title of show]" has a special appeal to theater junkies, and some in the audience might find some of the references and gags obscure. That might not matter much, though, because this show, in its unusual premise, its satirical and bawdy material, and its dynamic execution on the George Street stage is simply a riot.

Peter Filichia, NJ.com: "Maynard, whose vocal cords seem to have been dipped in helium, plays flamboyant exceptionally well. Watch him as he pitches his confederates a new idea - that he knows is bad before the sentence is halfway out his mouth. As Susan, Susan Mosher has an expressive face; Al Hirschfeld would have loved to draw her. When singing a song about second-guessing one's self, she's first-rate. Lauren Kennedy's Heidi is equally impressive and provides the show with its greatest drama when there's talk she may be replaced. Kennedy expertly shows that she's hurt, but she'll be steely and strong. She knows the business, and while she's disappointed, well, that's life in the theater."

 

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