'title of show' heads to Signature Theatre

What do you call a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical?

If you're Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell, two Broadway fanatics who decided to channel their passion for musicals into creating one of their own, you call it "[title of show]." And you give yourself three weeks to complete the task, determined to make the submission deadline for the 2004 New York Musical Theatre Festival, a popular annual showcase.

You enlist two actress friends, Heidi Blickenstaff and Susan Blackwell, for support. And when you realize that the funniest, most compelling tale you can tell is the story of your own whirlwind creative process, you and your friends become the musical's characters, portrayed onstage by -- why not? -- you and your friends.

You're a hit at the festival (which inspired the name "[title of show]" -- there was a line on the application form that asked for, well, title of show), you're a hit off-Broadway, and you even make it to Broadway in 2008 for a run of more than 100 performances.

But what happens when "[title of show]" isn't playing to a New York audience, and composer-lyricist Bowen, book writer Bell and their gal pals aren't on hand for the roles they were, quite literally, born to play?

It's a challenge that Signature Theatre and companies around the country are happy to tackle, given the show's reputation as an infectious, affectionate homage to a beloved American art form. Signature's effort is helmed by Matthew Gardiner, the theater's resident assistant director, and the cast includes his twin brother, James, in the role of Hunter.

The meta-theatrical qualities and abundant New York theater-insider references "can be hard for some audience members to get," the 25-year-old director says. "But in the end, the show is about friends. And it's about their growing closer to each other through this process, and about their commitment to each other to write this piece that they really believe in. . . . It reminds me a lot of 'A Chorus Line.' We, as audience members, aren't going to necessarily be able to relate to a dancer's story, in the same way that somebody who went to see a David Mamet play wouldn't necessarily relate to these -- stockbrokers. We don't get all of the terms, but the story and the human relationships are about people striving to get ahead, and put themselves out there, and put themselves on the line."

Mounting the show at Signature has been "a lot harder than I expected," Matthew Gardiner says. "The comedy is very specific to the original cast. So, finding ways to not be copies of the originals, and finding the humor within these four actors, has been a challenge and really exciting." (Sam Ludwig and Erin Driscoll have the roles of Jeff and Heidi; the actors, also featured in Signature's "Sweeney Todd," barely have a break between its closing Sunday and the start of previews for "[title of show]" on Tuesday. Jenna Sokolowski rounds out the cast as Susan.)

"When they announced that they were doing it at Signature, I was kind of like, is this show going to work without the original cast?" says James Gardiner. " . . . The whole show sort of revolves around: 'These are the writers who wrote the show, and this is the show you're seeing about these writers.' But when I read it, I was like . . . yes, that's sort of the idea at its core. But it's about something a lot bigger."

James Gardiner's involvement gives Signature's take on "[title of show]" several of its own layers of special meaning. In addition to being directed by his twin, he's engaged to his co-star Driscoll. And it's no stretch for him to play a book writer with Broadway dreams, given that he wrote the book for "Glory Days," the hit Signature musical that went on to an ill-fated Broadway run, opening and closing on the same night in 2008.

"There are a lot of moments that ring very true" from a creative perspective, says James, who collaborated on "Glory Days" with composer-lyricist Nick Blaemire. "There's a whole section at the end of the show that's sort of like a 'change it/don't change it' moment, where you're torn between what your initial vision for the show was and how that's going to translate with an audience."

But whether you see "[title of show]" through the filter of Broadway, the Beltway, or both, "the important part . . . is that you're telling a story about four friends who are trying to create something that's new and interesting," James says, "and they're making a really brave choice in their lives to commit to something that is a dangerous idea. I think a lot of people can connect with that."

[title of show]
Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tuesday through June 27. 703-573-7328. http://www.signature-theatre.org. $52-$76.