The Breakfast Club
January 6th, 2007
i’ll admit it. i watched Not Another Teen Movie, liked She’s All That, loved 10 Things I Hate About You, and completely adored Mean Girls. and yes i know all the words to the High School Musical song. and, er, yes i’ve probably read every single Sweet Valley book ever printed.
so when i heard there was going to be a theatre production of the famous 80s high school movie The Breakfast Club?
OF COURSE I WENT.
the story begins and ends in one day, a Saturday, where 5 students are serving detention for their own individual offences. with these 5 students, a good number of high school stereotypes are accounted for- there is the jock whose life is all about sports, the earnest nerd who has no social life, the popular daddy’s little girl, the gothic recluse who never talks and finally, the angry rebel who causes trouble all the time.
the five of them do not get along at first due to all their different personalities, but as the day goes on, they find themselves being unlikely comrades against their prick of a school principal, who is also their detention warden that day. they also start talking and sharing stories about themselves and their families .. and they discover that outside of their social cliques and under all their superficial differences, they are really all very much the same.
the cast members who played the 5 students are all from The Oral Stage, their last production being 59minutes, which i went for and loved. these were the same guys who did Rojak!. and i was really excited when i saw that Reuben, Krystle and Kelvin were in this staging of the Breakfast Club. it’s always a pleasure to see them onstage.
instead of being the usual monosyllabic vagina-obsessed thumbhead, Reuben Kang turned his jock into a more outspoken and warm character (think Zell of Final Fantasy 8). when one pictures jock, one pictures superconfident cocksure jerk.. but in his role, Reuben gave out a kind of vulnerability that wasnt immediately discernable, but you feel it coming from him after a while. it was quite genius and very convincing. i especially loved his emo scenes, they were so well done and really grabbed at your heart. and it’s a good thing he wasnt playing the role of a basketball letterman. er heeheehee sorry reuben dont angry ok!
the lanky Branavan Aruljothi was without a doubt, and with no question, the star of the day. his portrayal of a shy, bookish, goody-two-shoes nerd was absolutely flawless even from the very first minute of the play. i was completely blown away by how believable his acting was (i am, after all, a nerd at heart, and i went to school with nerds for almost my whole life ok!). i swear he got the awkward side of a nerd down pat, as well as the prim and proper know it-all side. (vicnan, the latter part is you, dont deny. faster come to KL and meet your twin) i honestly cant wait to see this Branavan guy in other productions!
the oh-so-popular rich girl was played by Christine Ellis, who was a delight to watch. it’s funny because she’s caucasian but has the most Malaysianized accent of them all.. haha. i liked the way she did her pouty spoilt princess role, but there was a lot more space for some ham and exaggeration. i’m also glad there was none of that blonde cheerleader vibe going on, it would have so cheapened her character. and from where we were, she looked comfortable in her character’s skin, which is a good thing, but it would have been nice to see her take it up a notch.
then we have the weird misfit who behaves strangely and dresses like a bag lady. a mystery to some, a social pariah to others, she’s the kinda girl all the popular girls scrunch up their perfect little plastic noses at. Krystle W (must abbreviate her surname wan) did a great job; once again, she’s succeeded in lending a lot of dimension and complexity to her role. the thing about Krystle is that it’s all in her eyes. she’s got all this emotion in her eyes no matter what she’s doing, and it always gets the message across. she pulled off her multi-faceted character very very nicely.
when i found out that Kelvin Wong was going to play the role of the thuggish badboy, i started feeling really curious. i mean, when i think thuggish badboy, i think Chad Michael Murray. Kelvin is SO not Chad Michael Murray.. he’s more like the brother in Little Miss Sunshine! or so i thought. and was proven wrong. he actually did his angsty, flippant, temperamental, foulmouthed teen gangster really really well! it was so much fun watching him swear and storm his way around the stage, he totally succeeded in giving a whole new image to a thug, yet preserving all the little stereotypey nuances befitting of a badboy. and the way he handled the dialogue.. it was so very fluid. all quips, funny lines and emo lines were executed perfectly. Kelvin’s versatality is amazing – i cant believe the last time i watched him in onstage, he was a kooky oddball inside a tong.
there are two other supporting roles, one of which is the principal, played by the director himself, Andre D. D’Cruz. i dont know, i guess i was a little disappointed at his portrayal of the mean and nasty adult who thinks all of his students are good-for-nothing brats. he was a little too mild for me, and he kinda didnt make you completely HATE him. his character would have been so fun to hate, but one just doesnt feel compelled enough to. the second supporting role is the janitor, the ‘eyes and ears’ of the school, and an unlikely source of wisdom. he is played by Brian D. Johnson, a complete newbie in the arts scene it seems, but there is no way you can tell. this guy has some serious stage presence, yo.
The Breakfast Club is one of those plays that tugs at your heartstrings, either because you can relate, or because the actors pull off the dialogue with such real emotion, or both. i loved the script- it was funny at the right times, serious at the right times, and packed good punches. it’s a play everyone should go watch, whether or not you are a closet high school movie fan like me hehe. and to all the folks who dont like open-ended, confusing, ‘terlampau arty’ plays (not that i’m disapproving; i love open-ended, confusing, terlampau arty plays), this is the one for you. very straightforward. you wont give yourself a hernia trying to figure out the ending.
The Breakfast Club is brought to you by ALMS Productions, and there are two more runs – 8.30pm on Saturday 6th of January, and 3pm on Sunday the 7th. it is being staged at Wisma Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman, off Jalan Syed Putra. (map!) some nearby landmarks are Victoria Institution, Maharajalela Monorail station, Petaling Street. it’s not that hard to spot, the building says WISMA TUN SAMBANTHAN at the top in neon green. ticket price : RM40, student price : RM20. you can purchase tickets at the door, but if you fret, give Sheik Faisal a call at 019 299 0274 though he will most probably not pick up your call.
next play to watch – Harold Pinter’s Betrayal! hehehe more Pinter. but no more Gavin Yap. this time it’s directed by James Lee of Beautiful Washing Machine fame. i cant wait!!!
31 Comments Add your own
1. sweat | January 6th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
gonna go either today or tomorrow.
2. foreverjas | January 6th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
wow. u read all the sweet valley’s books !!!!
3. Lynny | January 6th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
honestly i think most of the actors mentioned are a bit overrated. they’re okay la but not FANTASTIC. the play wasnt “all that” either. but thats just my opinion :)
4. Vicnan | January 6th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
Phoar, so him be the one you were squealing about on msn; i didn’t really understand. And pout, I have the awkward bits down, too! Nerd-much.
Sigh. This made me miss stage work. =( *stabs*
Person on the far right of the poster-publicity-image-thing is yum, though. =D
..who said nerds can’t be sleazy?
5. alea | January 7th, 2007 at 12:25 am
what?! oh man. i so wanna go! phoar! but tmw, i’ll be busy the whole day. and it’s the last day, omg. i wanna dieeeeee.
6. emilie | January 7th, 2007 at 3:32 am
far right? you mean Kelvin??? omg! you have so been decieved by the wonders and magic of makeup and photoshop…. he is so NOT yum in person…… eeeee…… hahahaha!!!!!!
will let him know though… am sure he’d like the confidence boost, although the rest of us “friends” around him would probably burst out laughing like hyenas… hahahhaha!!!…. btw, you’re a guy right?
7. pinkpau | January 7th, 2007 at 3:56 am
sweat : have fun!
foreverjas : haha i am not ashamed to admit it!!
lynny : they’re pretty good for a bunch of youngsters, and definitely some of the better individuals in our local arts scene :)
vicnan : yep, him be the one! heehee yes you have the awkward bits too. nerds can definitely be sleazy, alright! hey there’s a comment addressed to u below
alea : hey go!! 3pm show. go lah very nice wan
8. isa | January 7th, 2007 at 6:23 am
man, i SO wanna go.
i mean it sounds reaaaallly good!
but i have no teman =(
9. Vicnan | January 7th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
suann: heh, yes. I think i need to practice my jumping-for-photos, just in case. =)
emilie: yes, indeed I am (a guy). and (fooled by the photoshop and makeup), for that matter. ’tis okay! I’ll be content in my delusions; across the causeway mah, no diff. Anyhoo, if gives him a confidence boost, why not? =) I’m nice like that (shush, suann).
10. george | January 7th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
the breakfast club is one of my favorite movies ever!
the dialog in the movie was amazing
if I had known about this earlier, I definitely would’ve went, but alas ..I can always re-watch the movie :P
11. alea | January 8th, 2007 at 12:26 am
i didnt go. i feel like dying. the breakfast club is like my fav movieeee! *bangs*
12. isa | January 8th, 2007 at 1:14 am
oh, ps, i changed blogs!
13. Albert Ng | January 8th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
I noticed Christine’s fluctuating accent too!
14. pinkpau | January 9th, 2007 at 2:31 am
isa : there will be others :)
vicnan : mwahahaa, mr stiff as board!
george : there wasnt much publicity for this play, i think.. darn i shoulda told u about this!
albert ng : haha so strange right!
15. paul Bolin | January 24th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Did they have to obtain rights or pay royalties for doing The breakfast club onstage?
16. quaintly.net » Scre&hellip | April 19th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
[...] my beautiful regret is a monologue so dark and disturbing, that i wasnt too surprised when i was told it was written by Gavin Yap. presented by Brananannanana (Branavan Aruljothi, last seen in The Breakfast Club) in his boxers, this piece is an expose of vulnerability and heartbreak and of times long gone. i really do feel that Branavan brought a sense of reality to the piece, i loved that it wasnt over-the-top like a lot of people would have done it. it was a beautiful, subtle performance that successfully captured the defeatedness and sadness of the script. [...]
17. rand | May 22nd, 2007 at 1:06 pm
they can’t touch the movie. wow, no white kids. the whole movie cast was. WTF.
18. MEgan | February 19th, 2008 at 11:11 am
I was wondering if you knew where we could get a script.rights to do this show?
19. nick | March 5th, 2008 at 6:57 am
Where I can find the script and rights to do this show? Even if you don’t know, any leads would be helpful!
20. shelby | May 6th, 2008 at 4:21 am
if someone anyone could tell me how they were able to do the show like obtain the rights, please let me know, my drama department has been trying for a while and next year would be nice. i would greatly appriceate it!
21. rafi | May 12th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
I am also looking for the rights so if anyone finds out anything please let me know.
22. MK | May 20th, 2008 at 4:44 am
I’m also jumping in line for the people looking for the rights to the show. If I find anything I’ll come back and post.
23. Katie | October 1st, 2008 at 11:01 pm
my friends and i are dying to do a production of the breakfast club onstage, but we have no idea how to get the rights or the scripts. Do you have any information?? higgskatie@hotmail.com
24. Freeda | October 9th, 2008 at 6:53 am
Hey umm my school wants to do “The Breakfast Club” play for our grade 12 production. I just wanted to know how did you get the rights to the play. Please try and get back to me asap. Please and thanks. contact me at freeda_kassar@hotmail.com.
25. Christopher Sailas | January 23rd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Hey, I am a director and my school would like to “The Breakfast Club” play for our grade spring production. I just wanted to know how did you get the rights to the play. Please contact me at christopher.sailas@gmail.com ASAP Thank you.
26. Callum Dale | February 19th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Hey,
Sounds like it was a great project, hope it all went well.
Just like everyone else here i was wondering how you got the rights cause i was looking at doing either this or one of the other brat pack movies on stage. please contact me at callum-dale@hotmail.com with any information you have.
Cheers Callum
27. wendy | July 16th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
hey, yet again… can someone email me back :
wendy@yesmortgagecentres.net
i would be interested in how you got the rights and script for the play… i love LOVE love the breakfast club and have done since my school years when it first came out, i would love to be able to put on this play.. it rocks. thanks for any help!
best wishes, Wendy
28. Scott | July 30th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
Also looking for details on where to get the rights.
Would love it if anyone who knows could email me at scottcaughey@hotmail.com
29. David Sierra | August 8th, 2009 at 10:08 am
How did you get the rights? Please email me as soon as possible.
Dsierra15@hotmail.com
30. Glenn | August 22nd, 2009 at 4:29 am
Please let me know about the rights…..email me at ganoble37@netscape.com
31. Rebecca | December 16th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I too am curious about the rights… millerna_aston@hotmail.com
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