“(title of show)” Reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** Light and frolicky “[title of show]” depicts the struggles involved in the development of a Broadway musical, from conception to completion to post mortem. The book by Hunter Bell with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen is based on a true story about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical; yet it’s more about the relationship of four friends who sport Broadway-bound dreams and ambitions. The audience becomes privy to the process of coming up with ideas for a show, writing the script and music, figuring out who should star in the production, getting a producer interested in funding and promotion, and dealing with all of the personalities involved. Astutely called “[title of show]”, the play is about what happens after Bell receives an announcement to apply to the inaugural New York Musical Theatre Festival. Though it made its original Broadway debut back in 2008, the show is still on Broadway—but a different kind of Broadway—now premiering at the PrideArts Theater at 4139 N. Broadway, in Chicago’s Buena Park neighborhood!

Smoothly directed by Jay Españo and music directed by Robert Ollis, today’s musical begins with the friendship between two gay men Jeff (Jonah Cochin) and Hunter (Casey Coppess), who enlist their friends Susan (Lexi Alioto) and Heidi (Shannon McEldowney) to be fellow collaborators on their nascent musical project. By means of very cleverly written and poignant songs, the characters describe the various steps involved in getting from Square One all the way to achieving their Broadway goals (or what they once thought were their goals). We see the creative process at work as well as how people interact as they rework songs and scripts, keep up with the demands of directors, producers, and critics, and potentially please everyone who has had a hand in the production. All throughout, they discover what it means to work as a team and how having a working relationship with friends might sometimes be at odds with having a personal relationship with them.

While the acting and singing among the entire cast is remarkable and fun, a special shoutout must to go to McEldowney, whose mellifluous vocals are extraordinary. The stirring song she sings towards the end—that the team was advised to cut from the show—is probably the one that is the most heartfelt. So the question is just how much you are willing to sacrifice yourself and your creativity in order to achieve the goal of a successful production? And what does success really mean? Where are the boundaries between seeing your vision and watching it blossom—and then having moneyed interests and supposed experts take over? How important is it to make the changes in the script, music, and lyrics that others demand but just don’t feel right? Grappling with these and related issues are all lessons that the team must learn as they proceed on their theatrical journey and reflect on whether it was worth it all.

The small stage features a very simple set, designed by Anshika Pathak, which resembles the interior of a New York City apartment with peach-colored walls and wooden doors. Prop design by Izadorius Tortuga mostly consists of four chairs (constantly in motion), a set of bookshelves, books and pieces of sheet music, flip phones, DVDs, and a corded phone. The multi-purpose set is bolstered by Aidan Smith’s lighting design. I especially enjoyed the lighting definitions from scene to scene and the corded phone being lit up whenever a voice mail was received. Then there is Larry the keyboardist (Ollis) who also plays the maraca who serves as the accompanist for all the musical numbers and provides some background sounds besides. Larry is located smack in the middle of the apartment and is supposed to blend in with the furniture and appear invisible. However, he eventually responds when spoken to, that is, after he is told that the union says he is allowed to talk! Val Gardner’s sound design could not have been better, considering the mix of musical performance and dialogue. The choreography by Britta Schlicht is also well done. Costumes by Ashley Benson are perfectly contemporary for a show set in 2004 through 2008. Last but not least, Joel Zishuk’s projection design is wonderful, especially when splashing playbills of previous Broadway productions onto the back of the stage.

This is a musical that is very appealing, because the songs are very good, the performers are excellent, and the story has a deeper meaning. The show illustrates the timelessness of the Broadway adventure which these four people are on. We see that while the creative process might be fun and exciting, getting ahead is more a matter of hard work and having others buy into your vision and figure out what may or may not appeal to an audience. The production at Pride Arts Theatre thus recreates a successful musical at a venue that is intimate and where every seat is a good one. Hence, it is even better to see today’s show in Chicago than when it was first on New York’s Broadway! So go ahead and buy your tickets now. You won’t regret it.

“[title of show]” is running through September 22, 2024, at PrideArts Theatre, 4139 N. Broadway, in Chicago.

General admission tickets are $35.
Seniors and students are $30.

Performance Schedule:

Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays – 7:30 p.m.
Sundays -3:00 p.m.
Plus Industry Night – Wednesday, September 18th at 7:30 p.m.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please go to: https://www.pridearts.org/season-2024-2025-1-1 or phone 773-857-0222.

For general information, see https://www.pridearts.org/.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “(title of show)”.