Bob Martin is bringing light entertainment to a dark world
The Canadian musical theatre playwright wrote the stories for two new Broadway shows
Bob Martin is in high demand on Broadway. He is the playwright for three of this season's musicals, and he's spent months completely immersed in the production process for all of them.
"It was an absolutely crazy and unexpected season for me," Martin says in an interview with Q's Tom Power. "I worked a little on Elf... and then Boop! and Smash were rehearsing in the same building, one floor apart. So I was sort of running back and forth between the two rehearsal processes.
"And then once we got into the theatres, they were about a block and a half apart… so I was running back and forth between those two theatres. It was ridiculous."
Audiences already know the story of Elf from the 2003 Will Ferrell movie of the same name. But Martin's other two productions are new musicals.
Smash is a show within a show — it's a musical about making a Marilyn Monroe musical. Things don't go according to plan for the characters, and the production keeps falling apart in funny ways. Boop! is also a musical with a vintage beauty icon: Betty Boop. Martin says that audiences are craving carefree, escapist comedies in these tough times.
"Smash begins with the creatives saying, 'We're not going to make a depressing musical about Marilyn Monroe'," Martin tells Power. "'Nobody wants that at this time'… people come to Smash to laugh."
Just like Marilyn Monroe, Betty Boop is an "independent, strong, and sexy" leading lady — but she's a little more innocent.
"I mean, Boop! is sort of a much sweeter show…. It really delves into what essential quality makes us human, and that has to do with empathy, love, and connection. And that show seems to be hitting people as well…. There is still a place for light entertainment."
Boop! follows Betty Boop in a Wizard of Oz-esque journey from her old-timey, black and white cartoon world, to real life in New York City in 2025. Although it's a family show, she manages to get away with some sneaky satire. He wrote her a few playful jokes about wealth inequality and sexism that get "the biggest reaction" of the night.
"I should say, by the way, David Foster is the composer, and Rick Fox is the musical director. So three key positions held by Canadians on Boop!. So I'm quite proud of that actually."
Bob Martin credits his homeland with giving him his offbeat and refreshing sense of humour. He first caught Broadway's attention with his script for The Drowsy Chaperone. It's a comedy about a cynical theatre fan who spends the show providing clever commentary on his favourite musical. It debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival before it went to Broadway in 2006.
"The real thing that I brought to Broadway, in those early days especially, was just a complete outsider's perspective on theatre… and what people expect from Broadway," he explains. "I was working in Canadian television … and before I was in Drowsy on Broadway, I had only seen two Broadway shows. So I was an outsider, just like Betty [Boop].
"I think I always bring that Canadian sort of comic sensibility to everything I work on. Canadians are particularly good satirists.… We all grow up between two cultures: the British culture which influences us, and then the American culture which we make fun of … so I think I'm able to bring that in. I'm able to be a little cheekier than most book writers of musicals."
The full interview with Bob Martin is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.
Interview with Bob Martin produced by Mitch Pollock.
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