Not to be outdone by Tracy Samra’s film directing debut, former Nanaimo CFO Victor Mema is starring in his own musical titled “Let Me Pay for That.”

However, critics so far have been unimpressed.

“Honestly, I would rather watch a six-hour show where the audience is literally watching paint dry. That would have a much more rich book than this does,” said New York Times arts columnist John “Jack” Morrison.

The two-act show features the following numbers:

The show opened to a packed theatre off-Broadway, but it was clear that within minutes, the show was destined to be a flop.

During the number in the first act called “Talk Less, Smile More,” Mema breaks the fourth wall by walking into the audience and literally taking wallets from audience members. The audience laughs uncomfortably but it quickly becomes clear their wallets will not be returned.

Critics widely panned the show for its lack of focus, tonally poor vocal performance, and a book that moves at a glacier pace.

On the popular Broadway rating web site Show Score, Mema’s musical scores only 12 — only “Cats” has ever scored lower in the history of musicals.

Mema has filed a formal action in the Human Rights Tribunal against people who reviewed the show negatively, saying people rated his performance low because of “racism or something like that.”

The show ends tomorrow. It has lost $35.8 million.