Review: [TITLE OF SHOW], Southwark Playhouse Borough

Photo credit: Danny Kaan

[title of show] is not the only musical about the creation of a musical but it is certainly unique in that it charts its own creation within the show and in real life.

This meta-musical takes its name from the submission form for the New York Musical Theatre Festival which Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell entered in 2004. They had only three weeks until the deadline so they decided to chronicle their creative process of writing the show in the show. They enlisted their friends, Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell, to star alongside them and musical director Larry Pressgrove, who accompanies the cast with an on-stage keyboard. The original cast remained the same as the show was selected for the festival, transferred to Off-Broadway and launched video blogs following the show’s journey to open on Broadway in 2008.

Now a new cast consisting of Jacob Fowler and Thomas Oxley as Hunter and Jeff, and Abbie Budden and Mary Moore as Heidi and Susan, are bringing [title of show] to British audiences. Four years of writing, developing and performing the show have been condensed into 90-minutes and the time flies by in the intimate space at the Southwark Playhouse. The creatives’ ability to maintain the running time of the production is quite a feat as the story has been updated to reflect the real life journey of the show. These revisions are central to the endearing nature of this quirky and heartwarming musical as it illustrates that the success of a show does not come without challenges.

Directed by Christopher D. Clegg, this is certainly a fast-paced production and as the cast jump between four wooden platforms and make incredible use of just four chairs, there’s hardly a second to applaud the vocals of the sensational actors. We spring from scene to scene, which are interspersed with varied and contemporary songs packed full of rhyme, word-play and theatre references. ‘Monkeys and Playbills’ is a real standout as almost every lyric is the title of a Broadway show. Perhaps some of the references are too niche but we wonder if this is due to the show’s American roots or maybe we need to clue up on our musical theatre knowledge?!

There is a wonderful camaraderie amongst the cast and they have done a brilliant job capturing the love and connections that the original cast had years to build. Fowler and Oxley are full of energy and hope as Hunter and Jeff dream about how the show might change their lives. This is encapsulated by their performance of ‘Part of It All’. Fowler’s buttery vocals compliment Oxley’s terrific tenor tones and joined by Budden and Moore, the harmonies are excellent throughout. Heidi is sadly the only character who truly gets to show off her vocal range and Budden’s rendition of ‘A Way Back to Then’ is a highlight. Mary Moore performs perhaps the strangest number of the show ‘Die, Vampire, Die!’, which is about fighting your demons to pursue your dreams. The valuable message is received but the delivery may not be to everyone’s taste. However, this song is just one example of the comedy that is central to making this show so fun.

[title of show] has a wonderful message about overcoming challenges and pursuing your dreams against the odds. The musical’s penultimate number ‘Nine People's Favourite Thing’ captures this as the cast and friends agree friendship and the creation of the show is more important than commercial success. If you are a musical theatre fan who fancies a fun and quirky show, [title of show] is definitely one to watch!

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Sophie Luck

[title of show] plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 30 November, with further info here.