Theater Camp – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman
Starring: Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Jimmy Tatro, Patti Harrison, Nathan Lee Graham, Ayo Edebiri, Owen Thiele, Caroline Aaron, Amy Sedaris

In cinemas August 25th

If you still have nightmares about being forced to stand up and read in front of your class at school, then you probably weren’t the sort of kid who spent your summer in arts camps singing and dancing to your heart’s content. But you don’t have to have been artistically inclined to appreciate this offering.

Filmed documentary style it follows one summer at the AdirondACTS theatre camp in upstate New York. As precocious aspiring child stars roll in to stay for the summer we learn that its indomitable founder Joan (Sedaris) is in a coma.

This leaves her gormless “crypto-bro” son Troy (Tatro) in charge. What he knows about running a Theater Camp could be scribbled on a postage stamp with some space left over. Thankfully long-standing teachers Amos and Rebecca-Diane (played by real-life childhood friends Ben Platt and Molly Gordon) are there to keep things ticking over, and to write their annual original musical which is the highlight of the camp showcase every year.

This year they have decided to write a play to honour Joan, but as hapless Troy’s lack of business acumen puts the camp at risk, and their own personal resentments over past failures rise to the surface, things don’t bode well for the future of the camp.

While there are lots of in jokes here that “theatre kids” will get don’t let that put you off. Even if you don’t know your Lin Manuel from your Patty Lupone there are still plenty of laughs to be had. Platt and Gordon co-wrote this and their real-life relationship really shines through here to the extent that you start to wonder how much of it is fiction. They really bounce off each other and are a joy to watch.

The adult cast is all in on the joke and play their characters as the most OTT versions of the type of people you expect to find in such camps. Meanwhile, all of the child actors gamely play along even when they are being asked to do something completely cringeworthy.  The finale, which features the fruits of Amos and Rebecca-Diane’s labours in the form of the show “Still, Joan”,  is actually rather joyous. Also, be warned, the songs are absolute earworms.

While those who spent their summers tappa tappa tapping at a similar type of camp may get more from this there is still plenty to enjoy. It is fun and witty and sprinkled with a plethora of fabulously eccentric characters that will bring a smile to your face. While not an especially original idea this is executed well and is wonderful escapism for a couple of hours.