What a Bunch of [tossers]
Posted by Julie on August 2, 2008
An Original Musical? Not so much. (Top: Jeff Bowen; Bottom: Hunter Bell)
[tossers]: what an apt moniker for fans of the little-show-that-could, [title of show], which debuted on June 17th at the Lyceum Theatre. Whoever came up with that fan name clearly is not British, or if so, thinks he or she is just as clever and witty as the show itself – which is to say, not very.
[tos] is a show about making a show, something we’ve seen many times before in incantations which were much more joyful and funny and that offered some kind of artistic merit (42nd Street comes to mind). Here, creator-stars Jeff Bowen (music lyrics) and Hunter Bell (book) outline their not entirely original journey from the inkling of a show possibility as they sit squandering time away in their respective New York apartments to the festival circuit to their hit off-Broadway run to finally hitting the big time on “The Broadway,” as they like to call it. I hear that the You Tube campaign launched to create buzz for the show – in which they created a video-log of their attempts to approach individual Broadway theatres in a charming effort to convince them to produce the show – was a hoot, but unfortunately, it’s only referred to in passing in the show. Why they didn’t utilize some film projections so as to incorporate them is beyond me. It may have added some much needed production quality – and genuine humor – to the show.
Now don’t get me wrong: Bowen and Bell are endlessly endearing in their love for all things musical theatre, and their earnestness to create a successful show with artistic merit is awfully admirable. But when they sing of their plight to create “An Original Musical” and later compare their own “risk-taking” to that of such renowned and innovative creative teams as Kander and Ebb (The Rink), Comden and Green (On the Town), they simply point towards their own creative inadequacies. Bowen’s tunes, while catchy for the most part, are not really theatrical, and Bell’s book is simply uninspired and not as funny as he wants – and needs – it to be. There are constant jokes that center on obscure musical references that you’ll only get if you’re “in the know” (Bowen sings lyrics from the notorious flop, Henry, Sweet Henry, for example) or if you’ve just starred in a community theatre production of Into the Woods (there are at least three lyrical references to that Sondheim fairy tale favorite). The guys are charming and full of energy, though, and equally so are their two friends who eagerly round out the cast: Heidi Blickenstaff, the powerhouse voice, and Susan Blackwell, the quirky character actress. I’d like to say that the cast is so much better than the material they are performing, but that would only do them a disservice.
What it really comes down to is this: [tos] has no business being on Broadway. Bowen and Bell’s amazing persistence and determination defied all odds, but my guess is this 4-man-4-chairs-1-keyboard show won’t be there for long. What is essentially a tiresome variant on the Forbidden Broadway-style that would (and did) happily succeed ensconced in a cozy off-Broadway theatre, maintains only a niche following here; the majority of the tourist-spectators (which only filled half the auditorium when I was there on a Monday – a night which doesn’t afford much competition as the majority of Broadway theatres are dark) frequently turn to their just-as-bewildered companions with a mystified look as if to say, “We’re paying $100 for this? Monkeys and Vampires? I don’t get it.” Broadway productions come with expectations – fair or not – and if a work isn’t musically inventive, it should at the very least have some wonderfully unnecessary pyro (a la Carrie’s hands aflame), Drew Lachey, or a roller skating mermaid or two. The thing is, I’m a self-proclaimed musical theatre whore and I don’t get [tos]’s draw either. [title of show], far from being my favorite thing, is not even my ninth favorite thing. [tos] that.
Jason Smichards said
First of all, lemme say I love the website and can’t wait til we’re neighbors so I can experience more of your opinions first hand! (speaking of that, where’s The Adding Machine review? No seriously where is it, I don’t quite remember what happened, I was a little tipsy…)
As always Jules, I’m a big fan of your reviews. Your writing style just seems to get better and better and I always find them an extremely thought provoking reflection of the show. I’m a little concerned, however, by a few of the things I’ve seen in certain [TOS] reviews, yours included. I will be the first one to admit that, though I am a big fan, [TOS] is nowhere near the perfect musical. It can be waaaaay to exclusive and inside-jokey, and when I saw it in the upper-upper balcony, I was cursing myself for not seeing the show back when it was being performed in a 100 seat theatre where I would have been able to discern a single facial expression.
Opinions of the show aside though, I think that it’s a little dangerous for anyone to say that any show “doesn’t belong on Broadway”. The Broadway medium, like any other major player in the entertainment industry, puts on shows because they believe that they have an audience that wants to see it, and I think it is the audience themselves who decides whether the show belongs. There were a great many folks who saw a bunch of mermaids on Heeley’s and deemed that the show didn’t belong on Broadway, but since the darn thing plays to 100% capacity and puts a smile on a kids face, who’s to say? [Title of Show] certainly doesn’t play to as many folks as “Mermaid”, but it does have a loyal fan base that wants to see them succeed. A fan base that they built from the ground up through sheer hard work. Even if they only play to a full house for two weeks or even two performances before they begin spinning their wheels, they earned the right to be there! Though the empty handed producers may say otherwise.
If for a Broadway show to belong, you need it to have a flying car or Sandra Bullock in the starring role, then we must also kick “The 39 Steps” off of the Great White Way. Like [TOS], “39 Steps” has 4 unknown actors and no set to speak of, yet it was lauded in the papers for it’s ability to fly in the face of more expensive shows. Now the same reviewers are taking [TOS] to task (nice right?) for the exact same thing. [TOS] doesn’t pretend to be anything that it isn’t, and if you’re paying 100 dollars a ticket for a Broadway show, you should do a little bit of research if pyrotechnics are what get you off.
I know that you love a good underdog show as much as the rest of us. It’s just that I’ve seen the “not belonging” phrase in one too many reviews. There’ll always be room for blockbuster shows on The Broadway. I say if a show speaks to any sort of wider audience, and it’s creators have the gumption to get their butts off the couch and actually make it happen, their show belongs no matter how many chairs it has onstage (or taxicabs for that matter. Yech.). Broadway is an ever changing beast just like TV and film, especially in this age of YouTube and reality show casting. Hunter and Jeff may exclude audience members more than they inspire but when we start excluding them from Broadway, I fear that Broadway could stagnate and turn off less established artists.
Alright time to dismantle my soapbox.
Miss ya! Let’s do lunch when you get in!
~~J
P.S. You may have felt otherwise, but isn’t Susan seen as the character actress and Heidi as the powerhouse voice, rather than the other way around? Like I said, maybe it’s a matter of opinion. Personally I think they both sing pretty capably.
lilyseye said
Jay,
I have since corrected the casting in the review above – thanks for pointing that out to me! (That’s what happens when you write a review in the wee hours of the morning at LaGuardia, when you got zero to no sleep the night before and haven’t yet had your coffee. It is also what happens when you don’t edit. I should know better.)
I think you make a very valid point about the “not belonging on Broadway,” so let me clarify what I meant. I in no way want to dictate what kinds of shows make it to the Great White Way. But I am looking at it from a mainly producing point of view: [tos] is a show that has a niche audience. It is not for the vast majority of audiences, and it therefore shouldn’t be in a Broadway house because it has no real chance of filling it night after night. I don’t know why “off-Broadway” is seen here as a dirty word, as though it’s not as great of an accomplishment to have your show running in a small off-Broadway house that is filled to capacity every night! This is a show that needs the small house because, as you pointed out, you need to be able to see those facial expressions: the conspiratorial winks, glances and asides. You simply do not feel as involved in the show and its characters when you are sitting up, up, up and away in the balcony. In a smaller, filled house, everyone feels “in” on the jokes, because of the close proximity to the actors, as well as the more communal feel created by a more intimate theatre. If you’re playing to a niche crowd, wouldn’t you rather do it in that kind of environment instead of the colder, more distant atmosphere of a large Bway theatre? Also, for a show like this, it’s almost a kind of cult following: this show is for “us” (ie the select few who “get” it) – opening it up to the random tourists who just want to see a “Broadway show” in a way taints the appeal of an “inside the industry” show.
All of that aside, I still don’t think it’s a good show, and I’m growing increasingly tired of seeing a lack of quality on Broadway (especially in musicals) — and I’m tired of paying for it. Literally.