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By Andrew Gans
03 Apr 2008

Heidi Blickenstaff, Jeff Bowen, Susan Blackwell and Hunter Bell (seated)
photo by Carol Rosegg

[title of show] — the four-person Off-Broadway musical about the making of a musical — will begin previews at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre July 5 with an official opening scheduled for July 17.

Originally produced at the Vineyard Theatre in 2006, the entire original cast — including co-creators Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell — will be seen on Broadway, directed by A Chorus Line's Michael Berresse, who also helmed the acclaimed Off-Broadway run.

The Broadway staging will be produced by the Vineyard as well as Kevin McCollum, Jeffrey Seller, Laura Camien, Roy Miller, Kris Stewart. Tickets for the production, co-starring Susan Blackwell and Heidi Blickenstaff, will go on sale April 21.

[title of show], according to press notes, "takes a thoroughly unique and comical look at the pleasures and perils of the artistic process as two struggling writers [Bell and Bowen] and two struggling actresses [Blackwell and Bickenstaff] take on the seemingly impossible task of creating a new musical about creating a new musical. Now with Broadway as their destination, the quartet's saga continues anew as they face mounting pressures and deadlines, and are nearly thrown off-track by disagreements, day jobs and insecurities in this funny and unforgettable look at the birth of a musical as it finally comes to life on the Great White Way."

The creative team also includes Larry Pressgrove (musical direction), Neil Patel (set design), Chase Tyler (costume design), Ken Billington and Jason Kantrowitz (lighting design) and ACME Sound Partners (sound design).

Producer McCollum, whose resume also boasts Rent, Avenue Q, The Drowsy Chaperone and this season's In the Heights, said in a statement, "I fell in love with [title of show] because it shamelessly and fearlessly explores the vagaries and inner workings of how to get a musical produced. The exuberant way it captures the insanity of the creative process is full of surprises and truth, and that its journey now comes full circle by kicking off the Broadway season seems only natural." [title of show] debuted in 2004 at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Bowen, Bell and Berresse each won a 2006 Obie Award for work on the subsequent 2006 Off-Broadway production at the Vineyard Theatre.

An original cast recording was released on Ghostlight Records, and the creators have kept the show alive through the internet series, "The [title of show] Show," which is available for viewing by visiting www.titleofshow.com/toscasts.htm. The webcast is all about the troupers' seemingly improbable notion of getting [title of show] to Broadway.

Song titles include "Untitled Opening Number," "Two Nobodies in New York," "An Original Musical," "Monkeys and Playbills," "The Tony Award Song," "Part of It All," "I Am Playing Me," "What Kind of Girl Is She?," "Die Vampire, Die!," "Filling Out the Form," "September Song," "Secondary Characters," "A Way Back to Then," "Nine People's Favorite Thing," "Finale" and "[Title of Show]."

The Lyceum Theatre is located in Manhattan at 149 West 45th Street. Performance schedule and ticket information will be announced at a later date, although tickets will be available through telecharge.com.

For more information visit www.titleofshow.com.

The cast of [title of show].
photo by Carol Rosegg

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