Whether you lived through the ’80s or are experiencing them for the first time, the Greenwood Little Theatre is bringing back teased hair and teen angst with “The Breakfast Club,” its third production of the 2009-10 season.
The play chronicles a group of five high students from different cliques who appear to have nothing in common except having to give up their Saturday.
After being assigned to weekend detention for breaking school rules, the students are forced together for a period of more than eight hours by school principal Cathy Vernon (Cathy Roberts) to write 1,000-word essays describing who they think they are.
While the principal leaves the teenagers mostly unsupervised, John Bender (Scott MacIntosh), the rebel, disregards the initial instructions and begins to mock and harass the other students.
The group comes to the consensus that Brain Johnson (Blake Harthcock) should write the essay about who the five students are, but over the hours those preconceived notions are shattered.
Each of the characters begin to open up discarding their respective stereotypes and revealing their secrets to each other, including the one thing they all share - bad relationships with their parents.
Andrew Clark (Daniel Myers), the supposed perfect jock, opens up about his need for constant approval from his father who pushes him to be a winner.
On the exact other side of the spectrum is Claire Standish (Michelle Montgomery), a spoiled brat who is constantly doted on by her parents, who compete for her attention.
The story goes through the twists and turns of teenage emotions as the students learn more about each other but fear that the next school day they will all return to treating each other as strangers.
Also included in the cast are Nichole Henry, Steven Gray, Larry Myers, Elaine Tharpe and Taylor Bush.
“The Breakfast Club” was originally a movie written and directed by John Hughes, who died in August 2009. It was released as a motion picture in 1985 staring Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson and Ally Sheedy.
The stage version of the popular teen “dramedy” is being directed by Stacey Joiner and Ted MacIntosh.
“I wanted to do this play because I see a lot of myself in Hughes,” Joiner said. “He has a niche for working with teenagers, which is not something a lot of people can say. I have that same interest in working with them.”
He applauds his talented cast for being able to make the material their own and give it new life.
“They’re great,” Joiner said. “Because we are bringing it to the stage, we have had to adapt some scenes, and the cast has not only been flexible but also brought some of their own ideas to make it work.”
MacIntosh, a familiar face at the GLT, is directing for the first time alongside Joiner.
“This is my first time directing in any capacity, and Stacey has really taken me under his wing,” MacIntosh said.
For his first directing experience, MacIntosh is honored to be working with his son Scott.
“It really is special to work with him during a big role for him,” MacIntosh said. “This is what community theater is about; we are all family.”
Literally!
Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 28. Tickets are $15 each and may be purchased at the door.
This production will use adult language and content. Parents should use caution when sending children under the age of 13 to this production. For more information, visit www.greenwoodlittletheatre.com.
nContact Andrea Hall at ahall@gwcommonwealth.com.
