‘[title of show]’ takes a tuneful look at the creative process

It’s a musical about the making of a musical. And even more meta, it’s called “[title of show].”

But there are more than a few relatable themes at the heart of this production, which runs through June 16 at Red Curtain Arts Center in Marysville.

“It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also very serious in the way it talks about self-doubt and the voice in the back of your head that questions everything you’re doing,” said Eric Bischoff, who directs the production.

The story begins with two struggling, ambitious playwrights, Hunter (Nick Poling) and Jeff (Peter Davies), who set their sights on submitting an original musical to the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

The two men enlist the help of their friends Susan (Lexi Jones) and Heidi (Nina Prentiss) to pull off the project. Even with their friends’ help, they get stuck in a creative rut. So they fall back on the only idea they can think of: a musical about writing a musical.

With the help of music director and accompanist Larry (Luke Selbeck), the idea begins to take form. But when their ambition starts to stunt their creativity, the team’s insecurities become an issue.

The musical comedy, which pokes fun at the creative process of writing for the stage, follows the real-life journey of its writers, Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, whose work was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical in 2009.

This musical features Broadway show tunes with four-part harmonies under the direction of Christopher Puckett and dance routines choreographed by Jones.

There also are a few less-than-subtle nods to the audience during musical numbers.

“It helps makes the audience feel like they’re in on the joke and apart of the creation of the work,” Poling said.

Poling knows what it feels like to be uneasy about his work. When he and Alex De Roest wrote a version of the campy 1964 B-movie “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians,” which staged in 2016 at Red Curtain Arts Center, he grappled with the same feelings of self-doubt his character in “[title of show]” goes through.

“It’s just a very honest, self-reflective look at what’s going on in their own heads when they’re writing the show,” he said. “It’s very much a show for artists and creators.”

Evan Thompson: 425-339-3427, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @ByEvanThompson.

If you go

Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts presents “[title of show]” through June 16 at Red Curtain Arts Center, 9315 State Ave., Suite J, Marysville.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays. General admission is $18, or $15 for seniors, students and military.

Tickets can be purchased at the Red Curtain box office from 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, by calling 360-322-7402, or online through Brown Paper Tickets. More at www.redcurtainfoundation.org.