“Summers come and go but what happens on that stage is eternal” a kid exclaims, evoking the words of theater camp leader Joan (Amy Sedaris). If you are or were a theater kid, these words will resonate with you, and so will Theater Camp. Glee’s unproblematic, and effortlessly funny, child that pays homage to our inner theater kid and those who taught us.
The summer camp season is about to begin and at the final spring performance camp leader Joan suffers a seizure and falls into a coma. Her business influencer son Troy is forced to stand in and run theater camp AdirondACTS in her place. Veteran counselors Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) the drama and music teachers respectively return to the hallowed halls they once inhabited as students and now nurture a whole new breed of talent. The two of them, along with the dance teacher Clive (Nathan Lee Graham), the always-on-point costume designer Gigi (Owen Thiele), and the stage manager Glenn (Noah Galvin) help the kids towards their final performances. Which includes an original musical called Joan, Still, in tribute to their missing leader.
Theater Camp takes advantage of the mockumentary style it uses – there are witty text cards littered throughout, and they add hilarious context to the ongoing events. The fly-on-the-wall camera gives the plot and the cast room to breathe, lingering just long enough for those electrically funny moments. While the cringe moments are embraced as a loving friend. The film is a pressure cooker environment and everything is exaggerated for peak comedic effect. Molly Gordon preaches to her students about them potentially becoming “the Lance Armstrong of theater” as one of the kids has used a menthol stick to invoke tears in a scene. Alas, it’s this silly-goofy vibe that Theater Camp thrives on.
The film is softly led by Molly Gordon (who also acts as Director and Writer, impeccably so) and Ben Platt in a role that might mark his penance for the awful Dear Evan Hansen from 2021. The supporting cast is filled with so many little surprises. Patti Harrison plays a wonderful corporate villain, Ayo Edebiri (hot off her star-making turn in The Bear) is sharp as a counselor who doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing, Alan S. Kim is adorable as a kid who is convinced he’s an agent for all the theater kids, and Booksmart alum Noah Galvin who gets the biggest chance to shine in the films culminating moments. A true star.
Despite all of these highlights, it’s really the theater kids themselves that make it special. They slay legendary musical theater songs in the Pitch Perfect-esque audition scene and embrace every over-the-top battle that is sent their way. They are the beating heart of the film, the whole reason it exists.
Verdict
Theater Camp culminates in a moving celebration as the kids perform Joan, Still. The laughs still pour in as songs are sung about working on Wall-Street and stopping kids from taking cocaine. Beyond that though it’s completely joyous. A finale comparable to that of Nativity, because what Theater Camp encompasses is the togetherness of this space, the camaraderie everyone feels for each other, and just how special that is. The film will stick with you just as much as those incredible years you spent doing youth theater.
