By Bob Peterson on Jan 21, 2025

Friendship on deck: '[title of show]' at Roxy’s Downtown

More than a gimmick, this musical about writing a musical celebrates not only theater but the vital importance of friendship. It's on stage Wednesdays-Saturdays through February 1.

theater Reviews

In "[title of show]," four collaborators write a musical at breakneck speed. Photo courtesy of Roxy's Downtown.

On Day 1 of a creative writing class, most professors employ a classic Yoda attitude, advising their students to “write what you know.” Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, the creators of “[title of show],” took this sage advice — almost to the extreme. It was a good day for musical theater when they did.

Currently playing at Roxy's, “[title of show]” channels the spirit of the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland let’s-put-on-a-show movies. The plot centers around two friends who are writing a musical for a festival performance in just three weeks.

Bowen, who wrote the music and lyrics, and Bell, who penned the book, used actual conversations between them as dialogue in “[title of the show],” and their collaborative sparring inspired the songs’ lyrics. They edited all the material down to a tight 90 minutes.

But, of course, that is what good theater is — real life with the boring parts edited out. They have done just that, creating a musical about writing a musical that is sharp and witty. Underneath its familiar trope is a story about learning — learning what works, learning about the risks of taking a risk, learning to adjust.

By writing about what they were doing, Jeff (Jackson Dorris) and Hunter (Matthew Purdom) eventually discover the show’s underlying message: the value of friendship.

Jackson Dorris and Matthew Purdom play friends whose relationship deepens over the course of the show. *Photo courtesy of Roxy's Downtown.*

We’re given a clue about the show’s revelation in the opening number, appropriately titled “Untitled Opening Number.” In the song, our two protagonists acknowledge “we can’t do it all alone.” They recruit two friends — Heidi (Jaslyn Alexander) and Susan (Sisilia Shaffer) — to help. Over the course of the runtime, the quartet of chums begins to discover the nuances of authentic friendship.

When used as a theme in artistic endeavors, friendship often lends itself to the mawkish. Bowen and Bell never let it go there. Crisp dialogue, lively music, and inventive lyrics steer us clear of wallowing in the maudlin. Even the showstopping “A Way Back to Then,” wonderfully performed by Alexander, is touching and affective without crossing into soap-operatic territory.

Theater aficionados will find laugh-out-loud moments amidst inside references. The song “Monkeys and Playbills” is a roll call of obscure musicals from the past, a delight for masters of theater trivia but performed with an energy that will entertain audiences of all backgrounds.

All four performers steer their distinctive comedic talents into honest dramatic moments when the material asks it of them, as when, for example, in Jeff and Hunter’s final scene, Dorris and Purdom gracefully reveal the wounds and healing that are the staples of many friendships.

With two exceptions, all the musical numbers are written as duets or ensemble numbers. Music and vocal director Simon Hill has brought out the best in this talented quartet. “Die Vampire, Die!” and “Festival Medley” are standouts. Within the ensemble numbers, each performer shines in moments given to them, delivering with confident finesse.

Performers Sisilia Shaffer, Matthew Purdom, Jackson Dorris, and Jaslyn Alexander excel both as an ensemble as well as in the moments the script gives them individual moments to shine. *Photo courtesy of Roxy's Downtown*.

Greg Coykendall’s stage-right pianist (Larry) is the only member of the ensemble with 100% stage time and only an eighth of a page of dialogue. He accomplishes the feat of being nonintrusive yet totally supportive of the action on stage.

In an age of musicals that give us a helicopter landing center stage and an elevating room in an old Hollywood mansion, it is refreshing to watch a show that relies only on four sittable set pieces to support its story: a side chair, an office chair, a stool, and an ottoman. The minimalist setting is correct for a show in which the ideas are complex. No falling chandeliers necessary.

Directors Dan E. Campbell and Ann-Marie Rogers have utilized their bare stage well, trusting their cast to give the story its ornamentation.

You do not have to be a theater person to enjoy this nifty assemblage of scenes and songs that take us on a journey of writing a musical in three weeks. If you have ever collaborated with a friend on any project — cooking dinner, making a quilt, building a model airplane — you will enjoy the show.

But go with a friend. You will enjoy it more.

The Details

"[title of show]"
January 15-February 1, 2025, at Roxy's Downtown, 412 1/2 E. Douglas Ave. in Wichita

Content note: "[title of show]" includes some mature language.

Showtimes are 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, plus a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee.

Doors open 90 minutes prior to showtime, and the theater requests that patrons take their seats 15 minutes before curtain. The main entrance, located behind the building, locks five minutes prior to curtain — later arrivals may enter through the Douglas Avenue entrance until the show starts. After that, no late arrivals are permitted, and the theater does not issue refunds to latecomers.

Food and drink are available for purchase before and during the show.

$42

Learn more and buy tickets online.

Formerly the chairman of the Butler Community College Theatre Department, Bob Peterson is an actor, director, and playwright.