SHAKESPEARE GOES BRAT PACK
The trouble with tribute plays is that not all audiences are necessarily as knowledgeable about the subject of the homage as the creators are. In the case of Phil S. Gould’s faux Shakespearian The Club of Broken Fasts, the object of his retooling is the 1985 coming-of-age teen comedy-drama The Breakfast Club.
Granted, John Hughes’ film is firmly inserted into the American zeitgeist with its young cast of Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy having been elevated to that 80s icon The Brat Pack, and the film itself being selected in 2016 for preservation by the Library of Congress. But for those wanting to get the most bang for their theatre-going buck, a quick re-watch of the film would be recommended as Gould stays remarkably true to Hughes’ screenplay.
The plot recounts the all-day detention that five students suffer through under the harsh supervision of their high school principal. There is Andrew ”the jock” (Scott Bartling in the Estevez role); Brian “the brain” (Andrew Garrett in Hall’s role); Claire ”the beauty” (Dina Cataldi, the role that Ringwald was cast in immediately after Sixteen Candles); Bender “the rebel” (Mason Conrad impressively filling the boots of Nelson) and Allison “the recluse” (Denice Lee in the role Sheedy beat out Jodie Foster and Robin Wright for).
What must be noted right off is that Gould, who also takes the role of Carl, the wise janitor, has done an exceptional job of redrafting the screenplay produced on Hughes’ SCM Galaxie 12 typewriter to perform like a play from the Bard’s own quill.
There are a couple of nods to the Elizabethan sensibilities, such as Carl at the outset of the show playing a ukulele rendition of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” the opening song of the film performed by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, and Vice Principal Vernon. played by Ted Dane, wears the priestly attire a la “Father Lawrence.”
Gould’s script, under the direction of Phone Tha and Adrian Genesius Barrón on a nicely adaptable set by scenic and sound designer Siyin Yan, plays exceedingly well, without the least bit of artificiality in the language.
The cast is up to maintaining their balance between the two worlds this production bestrides, and while aided in this by costume designer Morgan Cordova-Stuart’s spot-on replication of the characters’ distinctive film apparel, it is the talent of the actors on stage that assures this production is a success.
The Club of Broken Fasts
The Broadwater (Main Stage), 1076 Lillian Way, Los Angeles
90 minutes; ends on June 29, 2025
for tickets, visit Broken Fasts
