[title of show]

Lyceum Theater

It was just so cute.

I suppose the brilliance of this was in its simplicity. It was simple and clean with a few layers, and it was unclear to me whether Broadway really is the best venue for this. [title of show] stands in very stark contrast to all of the glitz and glamor of almost every other high-budget show playing right now.

It's intentionally and maybe even painstakingly set up to look inexpensive and bare bones. Or, maybe it is just bare bones. Either way, there isn't a lot to look at, there isn't a full orchestra, there are four actors, a keyboard player and no chorus. And, it's a musical.

It's difficult to not like this show even though it is so different from what your money can buy just a few short blocks away. And, the brilliance of this is obviously in the concept and the script. And, the music is credible. And, it's funny. You won't roll in the aisles. But, you will laugh out loud (regularly) which is worth something.

Here's the concept. Four young people put together an entry for a theater contest in just three weeks. Absent of any brilliant ideas, they decide to document the process of writing a new musical in the musical. Every word they say, every thought they have is fair game for inclusion. The show has been updated since that first entry into the contest to detail its run at the Vineyard and its slow movement to Broadway--all that is in the show. It also includes tension between the two woman, a detailing of doubts and fears, and a showcasing of the method behind the staging.

One of the most brilliant aspects is the teasing of the audience, playing with expectations and flirting with and around the suspension of disbelief. This especially makes the experience more enjoyable as the audience naturally assumes what it is supposed to assume: that time has elapsed, that now the actors are in a different location, that the situation has changed. And, the show calls your attention to these moments--that actually no time has elapsed, the actors are in the same spot on the stage and we are still in a Broadway theater--nothing has changed. This is fun.

The concept is carried all the way forward in that the four actors are the same four who actually did create the show. They haven't replaced themselves with other people. And, there's a preciousness to this, somehow an earnestness and something true, perhaps an unexpected reveal. It feels fresh.

I certainly enjoyed it. I don't know if I enjoyed it in its price tier. High Off-Broadway prices ($60 for the good seats) would have been satisfactory. Also, a more modern theater might have been nice. I don't know if I enjoyed it because it was different or in spite of it being different.

I think it's more for people who love the theater and have been to enough theater to enjoy more of the jokes. It might not be for the tourist set who want to see Hairspray and Wicked. And, finding an audience is tough when you need to fill a lot of seats so many times during a week. You can be nine people's favorite thing (a song from the show), but you can't stay on Broadway forever if you are nine people's favorite thing.

It wasn't my favorite thing. But, it was truly enjoyable, well done, smart, witty and well-performed.