The Story of My Life is a new musical that's scheduled to open on Broadway next month. I stumbled across the show quite by accident -- first in the form of a bootleg audio recording of the Toronto production and then I came across the composer's demo.The show is a simple, sweet, and heartfelt exploration of the friendship of two men who met in first grade. More strikingly, the music is phenomenal. Neil Bartram and Brian Hill have created a moving story with some of the best tunes you'll hear on Broadway. From the clever and sweet "Mrs. Remington" to the profoundly moving "The Butterfly Effect" and "My Father", the score is fresh and often sublime.
Sadly, I think jaded New York audiences (and definitely New York reviewers) will find the show corny and in this economic climate the show will probably fold after a couple months of mediocre audiences. I hope I'm proven wrong. The amazing cast of two (Malcolm Gets and Will Chase) and small nine-piece orchestra may help keep production costs to a minimum...which may help the show hold on. But these are tough economic times, especially for commercial theatre, and even more so in a city where the theatre industry is driven by waning tourist trade.
If nothing else, I sincerely hope the score gets recorded. This is one musical destined to be a favorite among small theatres across the country.
For more info check out the official website: http://thestoryofmylife.com
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