The best things in life really can come in small packages and [title of show], a little musical about making a musical fits that bill to a tee. Now playing at PrideArts in Lakeview, the show originated nearly twenty ago when two friends got together to do something they always dreamed of but never mustered the courage to tackle. One was a writer and the other a composer who knew they had the combined talent to create their own first-rate, go all the way musical. Hobbled by procrastination and unspoken self-doubt, they never progressed further than the point of wistful musing.
Day to day, their lives mirrored what creatives do to survive. Working reliable nine-to-five’s or hustling catering gigs to pay the rent. A little robust soul searching and a contest sponsored by the New York Theater Festival requesting project submissions pushed them over the line to make a decisive stake in their futures. It also took each one encouraging the other to make them believe they could get it all done in a mere three weeks.
[Title of show] is a big blazingly bright window exposing what the creative process entails while chronicling their journey to reach their personal mountaintop. For the audience, it turns into one of the wildest rides you’ve experienced that didn’t involve a trip to Great America or Six Flags. Not only is it thrilling, sharing in the lives of people working so committedly toward their dreams proves fascinating and wildly inspiring.
There’s a clear reason why everything about [title of show] looks and feels so personal. Hunter Bell, who wrote the musical’s book, and Jeff Bowen who composed it’s music and lyrics; are revealing their own lives. When it opened at New York’s Vineyard Theater in 2006, the two even portrayed themselves on stage. Casey Coppess plays Hunter in PrideArts production while Jonah Cochin takes on the role of Jeff. Virtually opposites in temperament and delivery, they mesh beautifully when it comes to creative capacity and wit. Watching them play off one another’s personalities and navigate the treacherous waters of artistic creation couldn’t have been more enlightening or gratifying.
Actors, it’s said, fill their characters with varying measures of themselves. For some reason, you find yourself persistently wondering where was the line between Coppess and his character, Hunter. In this production, Hunter’s a big saucy personality whose scathing wit both delights and titillates. But as [title of show] so rightly displays, even big personalities with lots of talent and supercharged egos can be stalked by insecurity.
The two decided to make the play about anything they want and because it’s a reflection of their lives, it has a Seinfeld aura. You’re as consumed by the characters themselves and how things progress from moment to moment as you are about where it all might lead. And because PrideArts is committed to producing shows that go beyond entertaining, you see aspects of life, issues and people you might not see as readily on other stages. Intent on raising the visibility of and profiling subjects relevant to the queer community, characters are drawn and celebrated in their wholeness. That completeness gives [title in show] loads colorful density while also contributing an ocean of mirthful zeal.
Music, dance and song run rampant throughout and you’re left incredulous how so much lush, rich sound can be produced by four people and a keyboard. The actors are miked, which certainly helps, but Val Gardner still deserves heaps of praise for the show’s sumptuous sound design. Robert Ollis mans the keys and uses them to provide dialog bridges as well as back up big musical pieces. He also beautifully oversaw the show’s musical direction.
The other two people joining in the challenge are Heidi (Shannon McEldowney) and Susan (Lexi Alioto), who both deliver megawatt performances in this effort. Friends and fellow performers recruited to the project by Hunter and Jeff, the two women add even more dimension to an already luxuriously full story. Each may present a very different styling of cool and hip, but what they have in common is an abundance of theatrical talent. Edgy, fun, sometimes revealingly personal; a lot of the songs get even more of a boost with the gutsy all-in performances from each person making up this four-member juggernaut.
Weaving in the granular with Hunter and Jeff’s overarching objective adds equilibrium and gives us a chance to see and understand each person as an individual. It was unexpected to learn both Heidi and Susan had doubts about whether the other liked them. Such a small aside, but by showing how easily vulnerability can seed in our psyches, it speaks to a susceptibility we all share in common. It’s very similar to how Hunter viewed being recognized for his talent. Declaring he’d rather be viewed as number one in the eyes of nine people than be considered as ninth best in the minds of one hundred, he makes a stance on creative integrity.
Life in the arts can be exhilaratingly fulfilling and maddeningly precarious. This production makes them both intensely palpable. Even success can come with unforeseen hurdles. Obstacles and demands that test moral integrity and creative virtue. In [title of show], ecstasy at reaching the summit is met with the reality of what happens after. For Hunter and Jeff, a project driven by passion threatens to become one taken over by box office realities and investors. How they navigate those rapids is as compelling as the journey to the top was invigorating.
Destined to become timeless, Bowen and Bell’s first project together hasn’t aged a second since it was presented to the world in the early years of the new millennium. Sparkling, quirky, and always plot supportive; Britta Schlicht’s choreography just became one more thing to love. An outstanding cast and stimulating adornments like Joel Zishuk’s projection design also added to the wealth of premium ingredients poured into this effort. Director Jay Españo uses all of them with exceeding care and ability, making [title of show] one of the best performances you’re likely to find anywhere, anytime.
[title of show]
Through September 22, 2024
PrideArts
4139 N. Broadway Street
Chicago, IL 60613
![PrideArts [title of show] Raining Gold](https://rowgseat1.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/a53939222075_ceaf585bae_k.jpg)