[title of show]

Life is a mixture of dull and exciting, happy and sad.  Steven Eubank’s direction of Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen’s irreverent self-aware musical [title of show] by Johnson County Community College mixes great comedy and good drama with lackluster singing and unintelligible line delivery to create a uniquely lifelike experience that engages us, but does not transport us.

The show begins with self-aware humor poking lighthearted fun at theatre convention, transitioning into questions about how much an artist should change their script, and whether adapting to fit a different venue’s needs is more important than staying true to your vision.  The comedy carries itself well, making the audience care for these actors as they transition from goofy jokes into serious arguments.  The message the play presents—that what the artist wants to create is more important than pandering to audience expectations—has been heard before, but the delivery here is far less preachy, making it easier to swallow.  The actors warm to their roles as the play progresses, balancing out the generally weaker writing in the second half of the show with stronger characterization.

Jordan Malone and Austin Skibbie star as Jeff and Hunter, the writers of [title of show] as they struggle and squabble over writing the show, opening it on Off-Broadway, and making cuts for a Broadway premiere.  Malone and Skibbie joke and fight like old friends; the chemistry between the two is palpable.  Unfortunately, Malone mumbles many lines, and Skibbie ignores several laugh lines, causing us to miss a lot of punchlines and dialogue.

Lianna Klinger and Sarah Dickson play Susan and Heidi, Jeff and Hunter’s two friends who help the two men to create the show.  Klinger’s wacky, sarcastic Susan is constantly enjoyable, funny to the point of tears.  Dickson’s kind, emotional Heidi provides weight to this comedic piece, making us care for the show’s events through sincere feeling in comedic and dramatic moments.  The two secondary characters stole the show from the two leads during ensemble moments.

Only a few of the songs stand out.  Malone struggles to be heard during his solos, and Skibbie drowns him out during their duet scenes.  Skibbie's voice disappears at the top end.  Klinger remains fairly consistent, though she misses a few notes; her empowerment song “Die, Vampire, Die” showcases her voice beautifully.  Dickson performs the best musically, though her solo pieces seem unsuited for her voice.  Dickson's voice soars when performing with the group; in her solo "A Way Back to Then", however, she is nasally and subdued.  Ensemble pieces such as “Awkward Photo Shoot”, interspersed with dialogue, are far better than solos or duets.  Michalis Koutsoupides’ keyboard work as the thankless pianist Larry perfectly accentuates every scene, adding humorous musical interludes and quiet, dramatic keys whenever appropriate.

[title of show] has little technical design, but it enriches the show through clever usage.  Consisting of four chairs and a keyboard, the set consists of props rather than set pieces.  Props Mistress Theresa Delarosa manages to capture character differences through the chairs alone, each character’s chair stating character differences.  Jeff's chair is the simplest, conveying his down-to-earth nature; Hunter's is similar, but bright green paint and smoother contours showcase Hunter's more extravagant nature.  Susan's chair seems simple at first, but the swiveling and bouncing it sustains through the show reveals Susan's quirkiness outside of her desk job.  Finally, Heidi's comfortable plush purple chair illustrates her devotion to art and originality.  The actor’s manipulation of the chairs create the play’s locations without needing elaborate sets.

Life varies extraordinarily; days excite, they bore, and they are everywhere in between.  [title of show] excites through clever technical design, hilarious comedy, and strong dramatic moments, but bores through pitchy, too-quiet singing and murmured lines.  [title of show]’s portrayal of life comes across as decent—not life-changing, perhaps; but certainly fun, and well worth seeing.