The Brechtfast Club
by Courtney Bailey and Lucy Cashion
Directed by Lucy Cashion
ERA
June 8, 2023
Reginald Pierre, Maggie Conroy, Rachel Tibbetts
Photo by Jason Hackett
ERA
ERA is an innovative, experimental theatre company that often presents their own twists on classic works. Their latest production, at the Chapel arts venue, is an exercise in theatre history as well as world history by way of pop culture nostalgia and an examination of world events, presented in the style of 20th Century playwright and director Bertolt Brecht. Following the story is easier if you’re at least somewhat familiar with the plot and characters of The Breakfast Club, and a degree of reading about Brecht would help as well for those unfamiliar with his work, because this knowledge certainly adds to the overall experience. It’s a relatively short play, but there’s a whole lot going on here, presented by an enthusiastic cast and creative team.
The show is billed as an adaptation/parody of the classic 1980s John Hughes film The Breakfast Club, presented in the style of Brecht. The play uses many Brechtian elements, such as narration by stage manager Jimmy Bernatowicz, visible stage crew and elements of stagecraft, written signs, and more. It’s inventive in that it both resets the story and directly examines the original source. The setting is East Germany, and the time is the mid 1980s, and the characters are all member of the Stasi, the East German secret police, each corresponding to a specific character from the film. There’s Sergeant Comrade Alina (Ashwini Arora), along with Major Comrade Klara (Maggie Conroy), Major Comrade Andreas (Miranda Jagels-Fèlix), Captain Comrade Bruno (Reginald Pierre), and Captain Comrade Bertha (Rachel Tibbetts), who are all assigned various tasks by their supervisor, Colonel Commander Veit (Alicen Kramer-Moser). There’s also Comrade Josef (Joe Taylor), who provides musical accompaniment and occasionally gets up from the keyboard to film the characters as the story plays out, with the film being displayed in real time.
The characters are assigned to surveil a group of Americans in a town called Shermer, and as Bruno plays the transmissions, the Breakfast Club connection becomes even more clear. The resulting interpretation of the movie’s events by the their unwitting East German Counterparts forms much of the humor of this piece, along with the hyper-serious line delivery and consistently stilted dialogue. The players are all excellent, across the board, portraying their characters with insistent seriousness. It’s a strong ensemble all around, with each character contributing to the overall mood and humor with equal energy.
The look of this piece is distinctively styled and striking, with excellent work from director/designer Lucy Cashion, as well as composer/music director/videographer Taylor, whose work provides much of the underlying atmosphere of the production. There’s also impressive detailed work from lighting designer Morgan Brennan, as well as costume designer Liz Henning, who outfits the cast in detailed, character and era specific attire.
This is striking play–a hilarious comedy in one sense, but an examination of cultural political differences in another sense. The juxtaposition of the theatrical setting with the world of the film allows, in keeping with Brechtian theory, for the audience to “detach” and examine the cultural and political implications of the story without getting too absorbed in the illusion of reality. It’s obvious this is a play, examining a movie. It’s also a truly fascinating theatrical exercise.
Alicen Kramer-Moser, Rachel Tibbetts, Maggie Conroy, Ashwini Arora, Reginald Pierre
Photo by Jason Hackett
ERA
ERA is presenting The Brechtfast Club at The Chapel until June 11, 2023
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