By Brandon Voss

Originally published on Advocate.com February 11 2009 1:00 AM ET

Thanks to a
post-holiday slump amplified by our nation’s current
economic crisis, more than a dozen Broadway shows
closed in January, darkening almost half the marquees
on the Great White Way. Like Hairspray, long-running,
big-budget, full-chorus spectaculars such as
Grease, Gypsy, Young
Frankenstein, Spamalot, and Spring
Awakening proved that you could, in fact, stop the
beat. But now, opening February 19 at the intimate Booth
Theatre, the first official new Broadway musical of 2009
will be -- wait for it -- The Story of My Life,
a 90-minute, single-set, two-person show about
friendship, by life partners Neil Bartram and Brian
Hill. So can a pair of relatively unknown, 40-something
gay guys from Toronto revive American theater?
They’re sure as heck going to try.

The Story of My Life, which was presented last year
by Connecticut’s Goodspeed Musicals, is the
story of a successful writer who returns to his
hometown to deliver the eulogy for his best friend of 30
years. In examining their colorful history and eventual
estrangement, the perpetual power of friendship is
exalted.

“It’s not a big show with a big cast and lots
of flashy sets,” says Bartram, who composed the
music and lyrics, “but it’s a story that
anyone can connect with. It’s accessible,
genuine, and heartfelt.”

While it may
celebrate BFFs, the show is no Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants 3. Directed by Richard Maltby,
Jr. (a Tony-winner for Ain’t
Misbehavin’ and Fosse), The Story of My
Life stars Broadway favorite Will Chase
(Rent, Aida, The Full Monty) and
out Tony-nominee Malcolm Gets (Adam &
Steve, Caroline in the City, and
the upcoming Grey Gardens) as the besties in
question.

“There are
more barriers and complications between male friends than
there are between female friends, which added more conflict
to the story,” says bookwriter Hill.
“Men tend to be more guarded with their
feelings.”

Bartram and Hill,
who met as actors in the original Canadian production
of Forever Plaid in 1993, consider themselves
best friends in addition to partners. Could there be a
similar romantic connection between the characters
they’ve created, or is it just
Broadway’s biggest bromance?

“It’s definitely a love story,” admits
Bartram. “These two guys are soul mates, people
who couldn’t be who they are without each other. We
wanted to make it as simple and as strong as that
without it becoming a typical love story.”

“We’ve specifically written a piece
that’s full of ambiguity,” adds Hill,
“so it’s up to the audience to decide. We want
to raise questions like, 'What was the level of this
relationship?' We’re finding that people come
away from the piece with vastly different opinions, which we
find thrilling. We’ve had people say,
‘That character’s absolutely gay and in
love with that character.’ Other people say,
‘No, that’s not what the relationship
was about at all!’”

But if
anyone’s likely to question the characters’
sexuality in The Story of My Life, both writers
suspect it will be gay theatergoers. “Because
the story’s ambiguous, people tend to apply
their own stories to it,” Bartram explains.
“That helps it connect to all kinds of
individuals.”

While skeptics
may wonder how the little-show-that-could will stack up
against splashier upcoming Broadway saviors like 9
to 5 and revivals of West Side Story and
Guys and Dolls, the creators of The Story of
My Life think the temperature of their musical
perfectly suits our nation’s current sociopolitical
climate.

“The
presidential election was the first real sign that people
feel that something has to change,” says
Bartram. “If there’s any synchronicity
here, it’s that we’ve landed on Broadway in a
time when people are looking for something different.
This show definitely fits the bill.”