Remember the days when one word from the popular crowd could make or break your high school career….and your life?
Or at least that’s what it felt like.
The creators of Bring It On remember, and we are all whisked back to this thrilling and precarious time in our lives.
Although the program reads: “Inspired by the motion picture,” don’t go expecting a remake of the popular movie from 2000. There are very few similarities, except for the stunning gymnastics and the much-coveted spirit stick.
The opening of the show is simple yet effective: Alicia Silverstone clone Taylor Louderman stands alone on the stage and says. “I summon you, Herkie Herkimer.” Herkimer founded the National Cheerleaders Association in 1948.
The opening number dazzles with amazing athleticism. The dialogue charms, with lines aimed at the tween and teen crowd:
“This is my time [senior year] to be a raging, castrating biatch,” says mean girl Skylar (played by Kate Rockwell), who steals every scene she’s in.
“Put bitter bitch Barbie away,” replies head cheerleader and peacemaker Campbell.
When Campbell is manipulated into switching schools, she finds a hip-hop group instead of cheerleaders. She exclaims: “No cheerleading squad? Why have a school?”
Then she is warned: “You’re about to be Danielle’d.” Danielle is the queen bee of Campbell’s new school, and she quickly educates Campbell that their hip-hop moves are neither inferior to nor easier to learn than cheer moves.
Danielle gives Campbell one shot at the hip-hop crew. “Put on this leprechaun suit and be our mascot.” Far from being humiliated (as Danielle expected), Campbell can actually “smile and bring it on” while encumbered by the unwieldy outfit, with its giant head and feet. This scene is the comedic high point of the show.
Back at Truman, in a scene reminiscent of Single White Female, the conniving Eva (Elle McLemore) has stolen Campbell’s captaincy boyfriend and blondeness.
Cool, moving projection screens and ingenious lighting set the scenes so that the action can remain fluid. The stage can be quickly bared when a cheerleading routine becomes imminent.
The show was created by a phalanx of Tony winners: writer Jeff Whitty, composers Lin-Manuel Miranda and Tom Kitt and lyricist Amanda Green.
The lyrics, far from being throwaways, are clever:
“These Truman girls
Are superhuman girls.”
An ad hoc poll at intermission determined that the show was reaching its eight to 25 year old female target demographic. Everyone polled was loving the musical.
In the second act, Campbell’s new school forms a cheer squad. Although they lose at Nationals, the moral of the story is that winning is not as important as true friends.
It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. That’s the moral of this winning musical.
Beneath all of the glitz, Bring It On teaches important lessons about being a good sport, embracing one’s body size and maintaining self-esteem, despite what the popular kids are doing. A much needed commodity when bullying is all over the news.
Bring It On plays the Orpheum Theatre through January 7, 2012. Tickets are priced from $31 to $100, and are available at (888) SHN-1799 or at shnsf.com.
Comments