By Niema JordanPLAY Writer
What would you do if Claire from The Breakfast Club became a slut and Brian the Brain rapped?
What if, in addition to “the crazy,” there was a “weirdo?”
You just might enjoy the changes to this classic that Vertigo is making with its student-written show The Types.
While some ’80s classics should never be remade, because there is no way to recreate the characters or the chemistry without making a core group of fans very upset, Vertigo manages to present this remake in a refreshing way.
Shanley Pavilion will become a high school student’s worst nightmare.
The premise is Saturday detention, with a musical twist. Every type of person who would never speak to one another in the hallway will be there – The Rebel, the Brain, the Slut, the Crazy … and the list goes on.
“This was one of the only Hughes ’80s movies I liked,” says director Jim Rodman, a Communication junior. “When I started working on the show, I didn’t watch the movie again until two days ago.”
The distance from the movie has helped the play take on a life of its own. When you walk in, do not expect the same lines, same people or even the same issues of the original.
There are new characters and new dimensions added to the characters you thought you knew so well.
“It’s made it a lot of fun to find the same character in a different context,” says Aaron Menninga, a Communication sophomore who plays the Rebel. “It’s a lot the same but the content has also changed a lot.”
One of the more noticeable changes is the prude princess going to the other extreme.
“She doesn’t come off too nice,” says Annie Middleton of her character, the Slut.
Middleton says there are interesting aspects of her character.
“There is so much hidden under her thick surface. She’s a totally insecure, lost girl,” the Communication sophomore says.
But if that change means nothing to you because you have no clue who Claire is, don’t worry. You don’t have to be a Breakfast Club fan to enjoy the musical. Even those involved with the show say they were not familiar with the film at first.
“I had never seen the movie when I got cast,” says Communication sophomore Christopher Strauss, who plays The Brain.
Others say the musical written by Alexandra Dorsey, a Communication senior, is more universal than the film.
“The original makes it very obvious that it’s in Chicago. And even though we’re in the Chicago area, we wanted to make it more accessible,” says stage manager Lindsay Fritchman, a Communication freshman.
In the end, the director says the show is about the memories of high school and the ability to find common ground.
“As different as we like to think we are, if you give people a chance to notice the similarities, you will be pleasantly surprised at how united we are,” Rodman says.
The Types goes up Feb. 8-10 in Shanley Pavilion. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Medill junior Niema Jordan is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
