Review: '[title of show]'

Anyone who has ever attempted to write a musical will immediately identify with the trials and tribulations of Hunter and Jeff, the central characters in the hilarious little musical called [title of show]. Fans of musicals will also get a kick out of this offbeat show with all of its references to Broadway flops and obscure theatre trivia.

[title of show] began as piece written for the New York Musical Theatre Festival by Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen. They described it on their application as “a show about two guys writing a show about two guys writing a show.”

After its 2004 premiere it was developed further for a 2006 off-Broadway run and wound up opening on Broadway in the summer of 2008. In a sadly ironic twist the producers found that being in a larger theatre did not increase ticket sales, and the production flopped, becoming in a way its own punch line.

Yet it’s a clever original show that perhaps should have stayed in the smaller theatre. It does seem a perfect fit for the cozy confines of the studio theatre where it began performances Wednesday night. This is the first show of Angelwalk Theatre’s sophomore season and true to form they are delivering a top-notch show.

Director Tim French has the performers play scenes in a totally natural fashion, which serves to heighten the lunacy.

Mark Allan plays Jeff the composer/lyricist with a pedantic nature and an obsessive love of Broadway turkeys. He is teamed with Justin Bott as Hunter, the driven dreamer who like Samuel Goldwin doesn’t really care if the show makes money just so long as everyone in the whole world comes to see it.

The guys are beautifully balanced by Jayme Armstrong and Shelly Simester as friends, confidents and co-stars Heidi and Susan. On Broadway the four actors were playing extensions of themselves, but the frolicsome foursome assembled here have the added task or bringing these characters to life. They do this quite successfully, aided by Anthony Bastianon’s expert musical direction.

The set is kept simple honoring the show’s fringe festival birth. A few chairs are all that is needed to take us from scene to scene and there are even a few jokes about that. No need to worry if you don’t know every show that is referenced or who Sutton Foster is – the context aided by the convictions of the performers make it clear.

Just when this 90-minute musical starts to lag a little we are given a special gift: A dynamite song called “A Way Back to Then” that has quickly become a cabaret standard. It deserves the attention, and so does [title of show].

 

[title of show] continues in the studio theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts 5040 Yonge St. Buy tickets online at www.angelwalk.ca or by calling 416-872-1111.

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