Brian Boye and his friends thought it would be funny to make a musical based on Bon Jovi songs.

“I could just imagine the jazz hands — like a musical review or a tribute to the old cabaret shows,” said Boye, a TV commercial producer for KSHB and KMCI. “It started out as a joke, but then we just kept going with it.”

They didn’t stop until “New Jersey — The Musical” was born.

Boye inspired David Berry and other members of the Independent Filmmakers Coalition of Kansas City to help him produce a six-minute trailer at Just Off Broadway Theater. The short, based on the lives of Tommy and Gina, recurring characters in Bon Jovi’s songs, portrays a love triangle between the couple and a rock star who sweeps Gina off her feet. The musical includes several Bon Jovi songs rearranged by Boye and sung by local actors Jennifer Tucker, John-Michael Zuerlein and DJ Rouse.

“Every song tells part of the story,” he said. “It was a huge production. I only spent about $500 to $1,000 out of pocket, and this normally would have cost thousands. But that’s what the IFC does. ‘I shoot this for you, you edit this for me.’ ”

The short includes smoke machines, a 1979 corvette and a finale featuring the happy couple and other actors singing, clapping and dancing. Think “Grease.” There’s even some “na nas.”

You’ll have to watch to see who Gina chooses.

“I’m just so proud that we could make something this big and showy here in KC,” Boye said. “You don’t have to go to L.A. to make a feature, and I wouldn’t want to.”

Boye hopes to show the video to the real Bon Jovi band members when they play Tuesday at the Sprint Center.

“I just gotta figure out a way to get backstage,” he said.

The real Bon Jovi also plays Thursday at the Sprint Center.