Given the inherent and well-known absurdities of not just the theatrical world but of “theatre kids” in general, it’s not that hard to mine this milieu for goofy laughs. What is hard, though, is keeping these laughs constant and varied, all while holding enough love for the ridiculous characters to maybe even wring a few tears and make you wish, even if it looks silly to you, that you could have been a part of this world. It’s this much harder, much more earnest (but still very funny) balance that Nick Lieberman and Molly Gordon’s mockumentary Theater Camp aims at and it’s a target it hits with gusto.
Fittingly for its subject, Theater Camp feels like a labour of love from a family of creatives right from the opening credits, everyone pitching in to bring this world to life. Lieberman and Gordon (who also stars), as well as their co-writers Ben Platt and Noah Galvin (who both, again, also star), are expanding their own short film here, spending extra time in a place that everyone involved is clearly deeply familiar with – a summer theatre camp in upstate New York. After its beloved owner Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) is sent into a coma by a stroke, her bro-y wannabe investor son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) is left to try and keep things afloat.
It’s not an easy task, especially as everyone involved has different priorities, from needy head of drama Amos (Platt) to the slightly un-fulfilled music teacher Rebecca Diane (Gordon) to shy tech guy Glenn (Noah Galvin) to the kids themselves. Though Theater Camp is incredibly improv-heavy, with the jokes about, and tributes to, theatricality always given the greatest priority, Lieberman and Gordon also manage to consistently keep the plot driving forward, all the way up to a big final show to save the whole camp, a finale that leans proudly and affectingly into cliché, letting our love for these characters wash away any accusations of over-familiarity.
All the kids are very funny and hilariously self-possessed, while all the adults – except for maybe a slightly underserved Ayo Edebiri as the camp’s newest teacher – are granted a warm and heartfelt depth by the lived-in and unfussy performances. Perhaps the sweetest example of this is Troy, whose obvious dimness gets plenty of laughs without reducing him to a stock idiot character; he genuinely wants this place and its kids to succeed to honour his mum, even if he doesn’t quite relate to anyone around him.
This is a movie made by theatre kids, for theatre kids – certain references and inside jokes definitely flew over my head – but it’s so funny and inviting that anyone can end up having a good time. In that respect, it’s a perfect tribute to the world it’s making fun of and, like any good coming-of-age story (which Theater Camp is, if only in part) it has the power to make you nostalgic for a youth theatre experience, even if you never had one. It’s a fabulous place to spend the last week of summer.
Jack Blackwell – Film Reviews 