Tony Nominee Bob Martin on Cutting Confetti Canons from The Prom & Bringing Back The Drowsy Chaperone

Scribe Bob Martin made his Broadway debut in 2006 starring, and writing the Tony-winning book, for The Drowsy Chaperone. The Tony winner is once again a nominee, this time for co-writing (with Chad Beguelin) the book of The Prom, which earned seven Tony nominations including Best Musical. "Of course, we're thrilled," Martin said to Beth Stevens in a recent interview on Broadway.com's #LiveAtFive. "It feels so great to see that the last three people at the curtain call have all been nominated. I don’t believe in competition within the arts and comparing two shows that have nothing in common, but we love the fact that The Prom has connected with people in such a big way. Standing at the stage door restores your faith in humanity."

The new musical boasts an A-list Broadway cast including Tony nominees Brooks Ashmanskas, Beth Leavel and Caitlin Kinnunen. To Martin, one of the best parts about the creative process was collaborating with the show's stars. "We got to work with the greatest comedians on Broadway and tailor the roles to them. From the very beginning they were at the table with us," Martin said. "They're all pros. It was very lab-like. We would write versions of the scenes and work with the actors and see what sticks. It all comes down to rhythm."

With The Prom having such a relatable story that was seemingly ripped from the headlines, there was a lot of material that was influenced by personal events. "There's all kind of references. There's reference to the Drama Desk and the Tony Awards. Musically, there's a lot of references to [Stephen] Sondheim and [Stephen] Schwartz," Martin said. "When a bad review is read aloud that was a real incident. I went to the opening night party of a show and I walked up to the producer and congratulated him and he said they were closing in seven days. We’ve all had horrible things said about us in the press, so it was fun to go there. Was this a smart idea starting our show with a bad review from The Times? I think It all worked out."

With so many jokes and a comedic genius creative team, there was a wealth of material in the development of The Prom; Martin revealed a couple of favorite cut moments to us. "The whole show used to begin in a completely different way," he said "It would begin with last moments of three terrible musicals that our protagonists were starring in. Those musicals were Forrest Gump the Musical, Goonies the Musical and, my personal favorite, A Long Day's Journey Into Night the Musical. After they bowed, there were confetti cannons and I think it was an extremely funny way to start a show. I miss it a lot."

It was impossible to talk to Martin and not mention his slew of upcoming projects that include The Princess Bride and Millions, and there's yet another on his horizon. "There is a Drowsy Chaperone sequel in the works," Martin said. "It's time to put in on stage again. Instead of doing a revival, let's revisit the Man [in Chair] 13 years later and play another show." As for who will appear in the sequel, Martin has high hopes. "We’ve already talked to Beth Leavel about it. I've had three shows on Broadway, and she's appeared in each of them."

Be sure to catch The Prom, now playing at the Longacre Theatre.

Watch the full #LiveAtFive episode below!