The only thing in life worth making a song and dance over is writing a musical.

There are names that you have probably heard of that have done just that, such Gilbert and Sullivan, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and Kander and Ebb.

Another duo would be Rodgers and Hammerstein, who created such memorable musicals as South Pacific, The king and I, and the Sound of Music.

But before they made it big, Richard Rogers had had success with another creative partner, Lorenz Hart. Richard Linklater’s latest film captures that moment in history when The two of them went their very separate ways.

It’s NYC in 1943, and Lorenz (Ethan Hawke) sneaks out of a performance of Oklahoma!. It’s a show his former creative partner Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott) has written with someone else, Oscar Hammerstein (Simon Delaney).

It niggles Lorenz, but he has a distraction, the fascination of the 20-year-old Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), who despite being in his late forties, he’s besotted with.

He’s invited her to the do for the show, being held at a local bar, where he currently resides, propping up the bar. He’s having a drink, which he shouldn’t be down to his poor health, enjoying chatting with the bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale) who he knows, as he awaits her arrival.

But she’s not the only one expected, as there’s to be an awkwardness when Richard walks into the bar, when Lorenz will have to put on a performance of his own.

Richard Linklater has directed a wide variety of films, including one biographical feature, 2011’s Bernie, starring Jack Black. He returns to the genre, in a way, with this effort.

Instead of painting a picture of Lorenz’s entire life, it’s a specific snapshot, taking place entirely in one evening in one location, a New York bar, and it’s based on letters between him and Elizabeth.

The fact its shot in a bar gives the feature a very theatrical feel, which could easily play out on a stage. This is probably why Linklater gets Hawke moving around the bar various times, just to break up the stagnant drama of it all.

Certainly Hawke’s performance is magnetic, and has a kinetic energy all of its own, especially where his dialogue is concerned, of which there is plenty. The dialogue reflects Lorenz’s work, in being quite musical and poetic, with bold adult themes overtones, illustrating his blossoming bisexuality.

Hawke is almost physically unrecognisable, being diminutive and follically challenged, as he expresses constantly how verbose in the stage musical world he is. He gives the role depth too, facing a number of emotions on the same night, with his feelings for Elizabeth and Rodgers as they spectacularly collide.

You certainly get a sense of Lorenz, in this defined period of his life, seeing Rodgers to move on from their professional partnership, but due to the one locale, and the daunting amount of dialogue Hawke’s has, the film does feel staged, deliberately or not.

As the film begins, you do feel somewhat of a barfly yourself, overhearing the colourful stories that Lorenz has, hanging on every one of his many words, but towards the end, you might wish that there was an option to leave, having had your fill of it, and let everyone else carry on, as you finally make your way to the exit to get some fresh air.

An interesting execution of a curious premise, that although may struggle holding your attention, dense as it is with dialogue in one locale, there’s no denying Hawke’s deserves the spotlight, taking centre stage giving his all.