Film Review: July 2003
Camp
Reviewed by John Kenrick
Musical theatre and film lovers, rejoice! Camp is the surprise
gift of the year, a joyous, laugh-packed, tuneful big screen musical
delight. That's right – its a bona fide musical, with songs both old
and new, and a fresh story that infuses the old "hey kids, let's put
on a show" formula with a vibrant dose of 21st
Century energy. Camp is a treat, and the soundtrack CD is an instant
must-have for every collector. It amazes me to say it, but Moulin
Rouge and Chicago were not accidents – with Camp, we
can finally believe that the movie musical is
back! Hallelujah!
The opening credits are a bit confusing, as we see teenagers in
disconnected vignettes ranging from a tuxedoed hunk making a speech in
his bedroom mirror to a drag queen being savagely beaten when he tries
to attend his junior prom in a dress. It all comes together as we wee
these kids gathering for the bus ride to summer camp. However, when that
bus load of kids bursts into a spirited rendition of Stephen Sondheim's
"Losing My Mind," it dawns on you that this is not a typical
bunch of campers. They are headed to Camp Ovation, where the weeks will
be spent putting on plays and taking classes in voice and dance. Here,
the performance-loving kids who seem like freaks back home can be
themselves, living the kind of theatre-centric lives they may never know
in the so-called real world.
Many are returnees, but one handsome and talented newcomer can't help
drawing attention – he's straight! With tons of charm, he wastes no
time becoming everybody's favorite. His romantic adventures set off all
sorts of hilarious dramas, but his sincere love of performing also
brings everyone together for the all-important closing benefit that
redeems the entire summer.
Tony-nominated actor and screenwriter Todd Graff wrote and directed
Camp, inspired by his own memories of summer performance camp. (He
filmed it at the very camp he attended as a teen – talk about authentic
atmosphere.) The result has all the brains, heart and imagination a
great musical needs, and then some. Without any big name stars or glitzy
editing, we get an unpretentious and utterly irresistible gem of a film.
The mix of fine new songs by Michael Gore and Lynn Ahrens
(among others) with classics by Sondheim and Bacharach (among others) fits
effortlessly into the story of unleashed teen egos,
hormones, dreams and emotions. Michele Lynch and Broadway's
beloved miracle worker Jerry Mitchell have staged some great dance
sequences, including a showstopping
"Turkey Lurkey Time" that's looks good enough for any
professional production of Promises, Promises.
The cast includes a soul satisfying array of young talents who take
this material and work it for all its worth. The dreamy Daniel
Letterle is handsome perfection as the straight hunk with a guitar
in one hand and everyone else's hearts in the other. (And he sings too!)
I loved Joanna Chilcoat as the usually neglected girl who wins
the hunk's heart – her rendition of "And I Am Telling You I Am Not
Going" is one of many surprise hoots. I want to see a lot more of Robin
De Jesus, who is sensitive and winning as the drag queen, and Sasha
Allen (with awesome vocals provided by Tiffany Taylor) sets
off some surprise fireworks as an overweight girl who comes into her own
singing the fiery "Here's Where I Stand."
Alana Allen is exactly right as a hateful, man-hungry egotist.
Anna Kendrick, who stole Broadway's High Society, performs another
happy theft here as
the most ruthless big screen backstage backstabber since Eve Harrington.
Don Dixon turns the clichéd character of a has-been composer
into a touching, believable depiction of a cynic who still carries a
passion for the theatre in his rum soaked heart. And when a certain
legendary composer makes a cameo appearance as himself, musical theatre
buffs will wonder why their parents didn't send them to a camp like this
one!
I will be back to see Camp, over and over again. Why? For
one thing, its been years since we had a first-class musical film to
help while away the steam of midsummer. No matter what time of year,
this is simply one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in years –
musical or otherwise. Is it another Chicago? No, it is another
creature altogether. Original, easy-going and heartfelt, Camp is a film that
musical lovers will treasure for years to come. Treat yourself to a
screening ASAP – and grab the CD while your at it. It includes some
nifty CD-ROM features that will help keep you sated until the DVD comes
out!
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