Fur Pajamas has the bones of a decent musical. David Ceci’s describes the show as a dramedy and that is the way he has written the book and done a good job with meeting that goal. Unfortunately, that is the wrong way to go with thiis show. The totally dysfuntional leadung characters – Nigel Gladstone (Fur Pajamas band leader),Claudia Richter (the original bassist, girlfriend of Nigel and founder of the Pom Poms and now successful NY restauranter), Peter Bertucci (drummer, co-founder of Fur Pajamas and in love with Claudia), Eva Jean Barnes (Nigel’s ex-wife), Denise Powell (the entertainment attorney) and Andrea “Andi” Wilson (Nigel’s new agent, partner and the child that Nigel never knew he had) – means that Ceci should lean much more heavily into comedy than he currently does. The show should be a “darkish” musical comedy.

John Alman and David Ceci’s music and lyrics are certainly serviceable, but probably a bit too one note to keep an audience excited. They probably need to do something to make one or two songs “pop” and maybe find a place to put a ballad. The reading at the Next Step Festival also had fortune/misfortune of having an excellent cast. Fortunate because the cast impressed the relatively large reading audience. Unfortunate, because excellent cast often cover flaws in the book, particularly in musicals, and one of the main goals of a musical reading should be for the writers to discover what doesn’t work.

The comic relief in the show is currently the Maître D’ who begins the show by calling Nigel “George Harrison”. His role needs to be slightly expanded throughout the show, having him move in and out of scenes where he really doesn’t have much to do. But Ceci also has to make the Maitre D’ the eventual protagonist of the show. When Nigel, Peter, Claudia and Andi eventually fail to write the musical “Gruesome Gardens” the Maitre D’ should walk into the room with a completed script. There is no reason for Ceci to “fix” his dysfunctional characters.

Fur Pajamas has the bones of a decent musical. David Ceci’s describes the show as a dramedy and that is the way he has written the book and done a good job with meeting that goal. Unfortunately, that is the wrong way to go with thiis show. The totally dysfuntional leadung characters – Nigel Gladstone (Fur Pajamas band leader),Claudia Richter (the original bassist, girlfriend of Nigel and founder of the Pom Poms and now successful NY restauranter), Peter Bertucci (drummer, co-founder of Fur Pajamas and in love with Claudia), Eva Jean Barnes (Nigel’s ex-wife), Denise Powell (the entertainment attorney) and Andrea “Andi” Wilson (Nigel’s new agent, partner and the child that Nigel never knew he had) – means that Ceci should lean much more heavily into comedy than he currently does. The show should be a “darkish” musical comedy.

John Alman and David Ceci’s music and lyrics are certainly serviceable, but probably a bit too one note to keep an audience excited. They probably need to do something to make one or two songs “pop” and maybe find a place to put a ballad. The reading at the Next Step Festival also had fortune/misfortune of having an excellent cast. Fortunate because the cast impressed the relatively large reading audience. Unfortunate, because excellent cast often cover flaws in the book, particularly in musicals, and one of the main goals of a musical reading should be for the writers to discover what doesn’t work.

The comic relief in the show is currently the Maître D’ who begins the show by calling Nigel “George Harrison”. His role needs to be slightly expanded throughout the show, having him move in and out of scenes where he really doesn’t have much to do. But Ceci also has to make the Maitre D’ the eventual protagonist of the show. When Nigel, Peter, Claudia and Andi eventually fail to write the musical “Gruesome Gardens” the Maitre D’ should walk into the room with a completed script. There is no reason for Ceci to “fix” his dysfunctional characters.