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!!!

Entry Filed under: Events, Reviews

Viewing 22 Comments

Trackbacks

close Reblog this comment
Powered by Disqus · Learn more
blog comments powered by Disqus

Pinkpau