This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Good intentions abound in Aaron Levy’s “The Student Body,” staging its world premiere at The Galloway School and co-produced by Destination Theatre. Sadly, the best of intentions cannot make up for a misguided script and scattered vision that leans more “after-school special” than satire.
Part high-octane parody, part public service announcement and part sendup of the teen dramas of the 2000s, “The Student Body,” on stage again Aug. 16-17, aims to investigate the problems being faced by today’s teens — primarily body dysmorphia and eating disorders, with some discussion of sexuality and a haphazard sprinkling of gun violence. Levy approaches these topics with empathy, which is to be applauded, and his writing does contain a campy wit that hints at greater satirical potential, but his handling of these topics is dated and structurally unsupported.
Credit: Photo by Rebecca Levy
Credit: Photo by Rebecca Levy
The play introduces us to a large cast of characters, beginning with Amanda Britchett (Bekah Medford), a high school girl who has run away from home. Amanda is a classic Sally Bowles archetype: a lost girl and manic pixie dream disaster whose pain can only be healed by the sweet and unassuming Baily George (John Lumapas). Baily is a dorky freshman with clinical anxiety who is nominally part of the wrestling team, even though he’s never won a match and is struggling to stay within his weight class. It’s a classic tale of “girl with a martyr complex meets boy with a savior complex.”
It takes little time to deduce Amanda is dealing with a severe eating disorder, and the good-natured Baily takes it upon himself to heal her relationship with food by walking around the hallways with a food cart hocking Little Debbies to the students (and the audience). Setting aside that this is not how one builds a healthy relationship with food, Amanda and Baily’s relationship never feels like it elevates beyond a cliché setup.
The rest of the cast includes Dallas (James Patrick), the dreamy star of the wrestling team with a “perfect” body who is struggling with his sexual orientation; his best friend Houston (Chase Sumner), a heavyweight wrestler who is eating himself into an early grave; Baily’s attention-starved sister Lisa (Brandy Bell), who accepts a ride home from a teacher (Cory Phelps) and throws herself at him, launching them both into a fraught legal investigation; and two other Amandas (Erin North and Aliya Kraar), who serve as the archetypal popular girls, obsessing over their looks, gossiping about classmates and wearing their cheerleading uniforms to class.
Credit: Photo by Rebecca Levy
Credit: Photo by Rebecca Levy
Most of these storylines are rooted in questions ripe for dramatic exploration, which makes it all the more frustrating that they all at some point lapse into melodrama. It may be enough to credit “The Student Body” with raising these questions, but Levy cannot seem to decide if they would be better served by far-flung satire or serious character study, and his script ends up feeling overwrought and tonally confused.
None of this is the fault of the cast, who are working their hardest to elevate the material. North and Kraar carry much of the show’s comedy on their backs, while Medford gives a heart-wrenching performance as Amanda. Phelps is also a standout, imbuing the wrestling coach with a softness and humor that is desperately needed.
The entire cast displays sharp comedic timing under Megan Cramer’s direction, and Levy’s script is actually quite funny. Levy does well at mocking the incompetence and lack of care from the school administration, and there are some genuine comedic gems in his dialogue. Its messaging is flawed, but “The Student Body” is actually serviceable as a tongue-in-cheek parody of high school culture. There is a cheesiness to the writing that is nostalgic for those of us who grew up on “One Tree Hill” and its ilk.
However, “The Student Body” is woefully ill-equipped to speak to its target audience. Aside from 2000s sensibilities, which is slightly incongruous with a play that claims to be targeted at middle and high schoolers, the show’s frank depiction of its subject matter is entirely inappropriate for younger audiences. It is, in many ways, reminiscent of Netflix shows such as “13 Reasons Why” and “Insatiable,” which aimed to cast a light on societal issues facing teens but came under heavy criticism for their insensitive and sensationalized portrayals. Levy’s writing is more empathetic than these examples but is nonetheless eager to create dramatic commentary on issues to which it is unprepared to speak.
THEATER REVIEW
“The Student Body”
7 p.m. Friday, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16-17. $13. Chaddick Theater, The Galloway School, 215 Chastain Park Ave. NW, Atlanta. destinationtheatre.org.
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Luke Evans is an Atlanta-based writer, critic and dramaturge. He covers theater for ArtsATL and Broadway World Atlanta and has worked with theaters such as the Alliance, Actor’s Express, Out Front Theatre and Woodstock Arts. He’s a graduate of Oglethorpe University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and the University of Houston, where he earned his master’s.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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