Cute and clever, filled with inside theater references and jokes, and highly entertaining, "[title of show]" opened in the Studio Theatre of the Rep last night, showing off Ben Nordstrom in a brilliant performance. It will run through Jan. 31, and it's a fine choice for the dreary days of January.
The title is, of course, the first joke provided by authors Hunter Bell (a Webster University alumnus who wrote the book) and Jeff Bowen (music and lyrics). Their creation involves two guys who decide to write a musical and enter it in a competition. They have not found a name, and when they are filling out the registration form that will accompany the script, they just insert [title of show] on the line that says [title of show]. Yes, it's that kind of silly, and so is the fact that the leading characters, Nordstrom and Benjamin Howes, have the names of the two writers, Hunter (Bell) and Jeff (Bowen), respectively.
That sort of noisy humor, as often displayed by eight-year-olds, is highly evident in the first half as Nordstrom and Howes jump around the stage like hyperactive third-graders at recess, often talking nonsense, continuously punctuated by lots and lots of unseemly vulgarity. Also unseemly is a Nordstrom routine in dialect.
At times they appear like attractive afterthoughts, but there are women on stage, though in definitely lesser roles. Amy Justman is Heidi, a blonde with a lovely singing voice she is allowed to display only once or twice, and Stephanie D'Abruzzo is Susan, who shows superior comic timing. Nordstrom, who keeps growing in stature as an actor, is a delight, and his skill at physical comedy and his variety of facial expressions brings nice emphasis to the laugh lines.
Howes is more of the straight man, but he adds corrections in spoken English perfectly,
pointing to a preposition at the end of a sentence in a line obviously reflecting Bell, whose mother was an English teacher.
Songs are good, and David Horstman, the musical director, handles his chores and his keyboard stylishly. If some of the songs sound derivative, it may be a deliberate moment of poking fun. Maybe I just wanted to hear it, but in a song that tossed "festival medley" around a lot, I think I heard "vegetable medley," a perfect choice of words, though Bowen left out the word "seasonal." Some of my favorites included Howes' "An Original Musical," Justman and D'Abruzzo in "What Kind of Girl Is She?" which shows an incipient rivalry between the two women that never is developed. Neither is there any sort of pairing off among the characters.
"Die, Vampire, Die," gives D'Abruzzo a chance to be the lead, and works well, and the authors' in-song philosophy of preferring nine audience members to be attending their favorite show rather than 100 people considering it their ninth-favorite, strikes a competitive chord.
Victoria Bussert directed in Rice Krispies style, with lots of snap, crackle and pop. John Wylie's lights were effective, and though neither set nor costumes demanded much, Scott C. Neale and Betsy Krausnick came through nicely in their respective tasks.
The evening is light and charming, well-paced and a nice tribute to those who work so hard to find a career in the theater, though it is not for people with sensitive ears. The show plays without an intermission, so those with other sensitive body parts are hereby warned.
"[title of show]" in the Studio Theatre of the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, through Jan. 31
–Joe