By J.E. Ballantyne Jr.
Every play or musical that has ever seen a stage started as an idea in someone’s mind. The whimpering birth of the play happens when that idea latches onto someone else. Soon, life is breathed into this vapor of a thought and it begins to grow.
This is essentially what “[title of show],” which opened Friday at Youngstown State University’s Spotlight Theater, explores.
As the name suggests, it’s a rather unconventional musical comedy. Written by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, “[title of show]” is about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing the musical that you are seeing. They are creating the show for the New York Musical Theatre Festival three weeks hence.
The initial efforts of the two playwrights – Jeff and Hunter – fall miserably flat and they discover that their discussions about the show they want to write are more interesting than trying to construct a plot. With the show being about their writing efforts, the writers use their own names for the lead characters and incorporate two actress friends of theirs, Susan and Heidi, for help and support.
Jeff, played by Liam Burk in the YSU student production, is the more level-headed of the two playwrights and provides the gravity and reality to bring Hunter’s sometimes wild imaginings of success back down to ground level. Burk plays Jeff as a realist with hopes, but only occasionally does he allow the character to get caught up in Hunter’s wild ramblings. Burk is very believable in the role, so much so that he could have been the original Jeff. He’s comfortable both on stage and with the material.
Benjamin Podnar, as Hunter, is virtually the opposite of Jeff. High strung and energetic, Hunter has wild thoughts of winning a Tony award barely before anything is written on paper. He is prone to go off into wild musings which Jeff must then rein in. Podnar is an energetic ball of fire in the role and that glow of energy never wanes from beginning to end. His excitement is contagious as he plays off nearby audience members, almost making them part of the on-stage action.
The two actress friends play an integral part in the process. Everything from offering ideas to being voices of encouragement, both ladies offer compelling performances. Susan, played by Lex McCaughtry, is an actress but has a day job. She is somewhat of a dreamer but also shows a streak of insecurity. McCaughtry does well with the role, although she sometimes comes off a little forced and is, at times, overpowered by other cast members.
Natalie Horvath plays Heidi, the self-assured, somewhat experienced Broadway actress (she has two Broadway credits) who exudes confidence. Horvath’s portrayal is ripe with wit and flash and she makes every second on stage count. Horvath has the only solo number in the show, “A Way Back to Then,” which she delivers well. And Susan and Heidi complement each other well with “What Kind of Girl Is She?” where they show their suspicions of each other.
Not to be forgotten is Larry, played by Sam Nabring, who hovers in the background as their constant, always on-call musical accompanist, who is taken for granted for most of the show. Poor Larry doesn’t even get included in the photo shoot. But not to worry; Nabring does well as the almost forgotten afterthought.
Musically, the show is full of upbeat pleasers from the opening “Untitled Opening Number” to “Awkward Photoshoot” when news leaks out about the possible release of a cast member.
Any creative writer will relate to “Change It, Don’t Change It,” as the writing team struggles with changes and deletions.
“Filling Out the Form” explains the strange title. When asked on the festival form for the title of their show, they don’t have one. So they bracket [title of show] to be filled in later – but the non-title sticks.
“[title of show]” hits home with anyone who has written a book, scripted a script or composed music. Writing can be a very lonely job, even if you are doing it with another person. Thoughts can be expressed and rejected or not expressed at all
for fear of rejection. The process of constructing something of worth, although handled lightly for the most part in the show, is truly a constant struggle. Is anyone even going to care about what you are writing about?
Then there is the question of why you are writing it. Are you creating art or are you just writing something for yourself that only you find worthwhile? The show explores many of the dark avenues that writers tread every day, hoping to find that bright spot at the end of the line. Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t.
As well as the show travels through this myriad of complex elements, it also goes off on tangents now and then – as does the writing sometimes. In some cases, the show gets in its own way in the process muddying the waters. That fault is with the show itself and not with this production.
Director Adam Day Howard has assembled a good cast for this offbeat musical. It is high energy and his cast never lets down for one second. Their commitment to the piece is clear, and maybe they learned a little something about writing that they didn’t know going in.
Todd Dicken handled the scenic design, which was minimal. No walls or flats, simply an upright piano, a large table, a few chairs and a keyboard. The lighting design, by Jonathan Zelezniak, takes on significant importance when you don’t have a physical set to depend on. And Zelezniak bridged that gap well with accent lighting, color and key spots, although sometimes the actors had a problem “finding their light.”
Katherine Garlick’s costumes were contemporary and believable without calling undo attention to anything or anybody.
“[title of show]” is not your normal musical but it is fun, it is fast paced and it has a great cast with enjoyable musical numbers. But you may want to leave the younger kids at home for this one. And hit the restroom before it begins, because there is no intermission.
“[title of show]” will continue April 5, 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m.; and April 6 and 13 at 2 p.m.
Pictured at top: Natalie Horvath, Lex McCaughty, Ben Podnar and Liam Burk star in the University Theatre production of “[title of show].”