Calvin Berger at George Street Playhouse: Get Your Glee On.

Post Show, Pre Party, Ready to Boogie Down.

Hi everyone! I’m a 25-year old arts professional, and I have complex relationship with GLEE. I want to get that out of the way up front–Ryan Murphy’s excellent new television show is at the same time a shout-out and a legacy to the perceptions of high school and growing up that John Hughes created a generation ago. And those same thoughts and feelings come rushing back in George Street Playhouse’s Calvin Berger, playing now through March 14. Barry Wyner’s new musical takes the classic Cyrano De Bergerac, spins it up, adds a character, and sets it down in a modern American high school.

Calvin Berger  is about the challenges of fitting in; I definitely can relate to that experience, as I was not one of the popular kids in high school (although, in hindsight, who was?). In keeping with the theme, I brought my best friend from high school, Sonny, to the show and the Generation Next event following.

Generation NEXT at the Bickford 3: The Review!

I Love You, You're Perfect...Now Pizza.

(Sorry this show is just so good; I really couldn’t edit this down!)

There are some genuinely tender moments in this show, especially Christine Marie Heath’s rendition of “I will be loved tonight” and Marc G. Dalio’s performance as an old man looking across the table to his wife of many years and singing “Shouldn’t I be less in love with you?”

Even though the ages in the theater seemed to range from 21 to 75, there wasn’t one member who laughed particularly louder at a comic scene or sighed at a touching moment.  There really is something for everyone.

My moment would have to be the single woman trying to get off the phone with her anxious mother wanting to know if the man she went on a date with the other night has called yet.  She chides her mother with “he said he’d call tonight so of course he won’t call tonight” line.  Every single woman knows the x 3 rule when it comes to a guy.  (Take the day he says he’ll call you and add three days and that’s the actual time you will hear from him.  It’s as valid as the Pythagoras Theorem).  So imagine the woman’s surprise, along with the audience’s, when the man actually calls her!

The stage erupts into a musical spectacular of “He Called Me,” complete with a dancing duo of Italian pizza delivery men.  When the man calls her again, the spectacular abruptly ends as she turns to the audience with a sigh to say “He’s needy.”   And alas, the relationship ends before it can even begin.  I hate to admit it but I am guilty of such a judgment.  So I guess after seeing the other side, I will have to respectfully retract my former statement that “boys are stupid” and merely conclude that it is not about finding that perfect person but finding a person who embraces your “baggage” and inner-weirdness.

When I find mine, he will take me to see theatre.