Showmance

Tony Award nominee Beguelin (The Prom) moves from writing musicals to writing a romance novel about musicals in this charming queer rom-com. Playwright Noah Adams makes the trek from New York City to see his family in small-town Illinois after his latest show flops and his dad falls ill. On the trip, surprises abound for Noah—he’s tapped to produce his show at the local community theater, his boyfriend/agent back in New York turns out to be a jerk, and his high school bully Luke is now sweet, gorgeous, and working on his family farm. While the people in Noah’s hometown are almost unbelievably quirky, the story stays grounded due to the obvious fondness Beguelin has for the type of community where he himself grew up. At times, Noah’s drama becomes a bit much, and some of the subplots wrap up too neatly, but the novel will still elicit laughs and maybe even a few tears. The musical theater winks and nods just add to the fun.