"Sometimes, all we need is a little shift in perspective to change our entire sense of who we are and where we are going." St. Albert's Catholic High School's production of "The Breakfast Club" taught the audience at the Arden Theatre a few valuable life lessons about social status and friendship.
Originally a teen film written and directed by John Hughes, the play follows five high school students as they spend a Saturday in detention. Five teenagers, who come from different cliques and seem to have nothing in common, are forced to spend nine hours together, in the library of the empty Shermer High School. As time ticks by, they gradually open up and learn more about each other. As they break the barriers between their social statuses and relationships with one another, they come to realize that they are not so different from each other after all.
Adam MacMahon, Alexander Welling, Stephanie Parth, Olivia Billsten, and Quintin Philipson were the epitome of the titles that stereotyped their character: MacMahon, as Brian Johnson, the nerd, Welling, as Andrew Clark, the athlete, Parth as Allison Reynolds, the basket-case, and Philipson as John Bender, the criminal.
Philipson gave an impressive performance, with his cocky and carefree attitude onstage. He portrayed the rebellious Bender in a comic way, winning the audience over with his ridiculing expressions and insulting jokes. While comparing Brian's home life to his own, his impressions shifted impressively from mocking and witty to emotional and intense.
Parth, as the basket-case, remained silent for most of Act I. However, she still maintained her character with random outbursts that brought the audience to laughter. As she opened up to the other characters, her commitment to her role showed the change within Allison, while remaining in touch with the shy and odd personality of a basket-case.
While watching MacMahon, one would think that he was an actual nerd offstage.