Nat Zegree and Eric Holmes knew it was going to work.
When they wrote the first song of their musical, “The King’s Critique,” almost two years ago, they knew something was different.
Zegree said the first week the two spent writing in New York City was when they realized they would be able to work together forever.
“That never happens,” Holmes said. “Usually you do a reading and think, ‘Holy crap, I have to fix this,’ and you go back and rework it. We changed things, but so much was working in act one.”
The IU Theater’s summer season will begin with workshop performances of “The King’s Critique” at the Wells-Metz Theater at 7:30 p.m. June 8-11. Holmes described the performance as a feminist satire of the American political system, theater and entertainment industry as a whole.
“A lot of this play has to do with how you do what you want to do in life, even if it’s against the grain,” Holmes said.
Zegree said they found components of a completely feminist story while also touching on society both politically and creatively.
But as invested as the show is in the present, the two said they are subtly referential to past comedians and performers. Some characters, for example, are named after writers of the 1950’s TV show “Caesar’s Hour” while others are named after roles in their favorite musicals.
“As much as we pick apart where the entertainment industry has evolved to today, we really pay homage to how it all started and what we really love about it the most, what inspired our love for theater to begin with,” Zegree said.
George Pinney is the director of next week’s performances.
He said he worked extensively with Zegree and Holmes when they were students at IU.
“They were just terrific when they were here, and to have the opportunity to bring two students back to work with them on a special project is just priceless,” Pinney said. “I think what makes this one special is that it’s an incredible balance of wonderful comedy, terrifically drawn characters and absolutely brilliant music.”
Pinney explained in an established musical the script doesn’t change, but because next week’s performances are part of a workshop, Zegree and Holmes have been modifying the words and notes to improve the musical.
He also said workshop performances don’t rely on a set or costumes.
“It really relies on the script and score for success,” Pinney said. “We try to stay away from the theatrics and really work with the script and score to allow that action to come across.”
Zegree and Holmes said they are looking forward to gauging the audience’s reactions of the musical — something the two have not been able to do until now.
They actually met when Holmes brought a different workshop to the IU Theater when Zegree was still a student.
Now on the other side of the stage, Zegree said he is incredibly happy with the work the student performers are doing for him.
“To watch them bring to life what Eric and I created is rewarding on a lot of different levels,” Zegree said.
