All the lore you have probably heard about (title of show) is true.  It’s a musical. About two guys writing a musical. Which is about two guys writing a musical… the whole idea is enough to make your eyes glaze over.  But despite that nearly indigestible formula, the format of this show is deceptively simple—and genius.  The script that main characters Hunter and Jeff scramble to finish is that which unfolds onstage.  That surprisingly witty script, and the way in which the Arizona Theatre Company has shaped it for the Temple stage, will have every artist in the audience crying, “Stop the world—I want to get on!”
Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, the original writers of this quasi-autobiographical romp, set out to document their own creative process, a subject they knew inside out.  While they do admit that they doctored the original script several times for “entertainment” purposes, and that the characters onstage are “heightened theatrical versions” of the real Hunter and Jeff, the piece as a whole retains a true-to-life feel.  The characters and their situations are not glamorized in any way—they are just four tired artists, searching for a spare minute to harness their creative powers.  The humor is startlingly quirky and candid, filled with the obscure references that one would expect in an everyday conversation.  ATC’s creative team has also kept with the “low-budget” look and feel that Bell and Bowen envisioned.  Scenic designer John Ezell and lighting designer Michael Gillam fulfill all of the script’s spatial needs with a simple background, four chairs, and a keyboard.  Incorporating projections designed by Jeffrey Cady, they give the piece a surprisingly varied and deep aesthetic.
But (title of show), a faithful homage to the everyday, also gets a comedic punch from interludes that smack of absurdism.  “I think we should cut off this scene,” Hunter declares in the middle of a conversation. “It feels a little long.”  The lights go down, and that’s it.  Jeff Bowen’s music offers another portal into the world of theater.  Though the melodies themselves are forgettable, the lyrics pack a tongue-in-cheek wallop that will keep audiences hanging on.  In spite of oneself, who wouldn’t want  Jeff, Hunter, and two of their best friends, high on ambition and creativity, to bust down their day jobs and run as far as they can with their art, maybe even to Broadway?
But that little nagging pragmatist in everybody—especially in Jeff—isn’t the only obstacle that the characters face.  Writer’s block, artistic insecurities, and the scramble for profit…a run-of-the-mill set of hurdles. And somehow, the corresponding run-of-the-mill ending will have you jumping out of your seat.  Bell and Bowen have hit a winning combination, adding enough schmaltz to satisfy the inner sentimentalist, but enough modern, hip, and quirky to make the piece feel fresh and new.  This box-within-a-box may be the only artistically accomplished “feel-good” story you’ll see for a long time.

(title of show) runs at the Temple of Music and Art through February 13.
Tickets start at $31. Visit www.arizonatheatreco.org, or call (520) 622-2823