[title of show] - ★★★★★

The revival of Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell’s musical [title of show] at the Southwark Playhouse comes twenty years after it premiered at New York’s Musical Theatre Festival and eleven years after its last UK run. The story of four friends creating a musical based on the story of four friends creating a musical is as meta as it comes and a risky proposition: would the self-referential dialogue and witty lyrics which powered it in the noughties work in this more jaded decade? The answer is, resoundingly, yes.

That’s partly because the highs and lows of the creative process are captured meaningfully, regardless of the odd Broadway anachronism. It’s also because Bowen and Bell’s friendship – with each other as well as fellow perfomers Heidi and Susan – feels genuine and heart-warming. Add in crackling high-energy performances from the Playhouse cast and the audience is transported with them to NYC apartments and rehearsal rooms. Jacob Fowler as Hunter, Thomas Oxley as Jeff, Mary Moore as Susan and Abbie Budden as Heidi deliver pitch-perfect performances and (to the untrained ear anyway) maintain American accents perfectly throughout a non-stop and demanding 90 minutes.

Occasionally, the script becomes a foreign language understood by only the most ardent of Broadway “show-mos”. However, though some references are no longer relevant, most of its one-liners are still laugh-out-loud funny. Admitting that he’s been distracted by porn, Hunter describes himself as a “procrastibator”; when ToS takes off, Heidi is glad to abandon the part of roller-skating eel in “The Little Mermaid”. And when Jeff asks Susan why she’s quiet, she replies breezily, “I didn’t have a line until now”. Meta indeed!

The melodies are jaunty without always necessarily being that memorable. Rather it’s Bowen’s clever lyrics which stick in the mind, from the opening Two Nobodies in New York, via Heidi and Susan’s catty duet What Kind of Girl Is She? to Die Vampire, Die! in which Susan hilariously vanquishes self-doubt. Awkward Photo Shoot captures the moment when the four friends fall out under the pressure of creating a Broadway version of their show – and the company’s very physical performance is genuinely funny. As they make up, Heidi sings A Way Back to Then, which is lovely and poignant. In keeping true to the creative spirit, the company sings that they’d rather be Nine People’s Favourite Thing, as opposed to a hundred people’s ninth favourite thing.

Staged simply, with four chairs on daises and a background like an illuminated disco floor, title of show is high octane and colourful. And for those who adore musical theatre, this loving and funny tribute to its creation is a must-see!