The young and fresh faced boys have to be praised for their energy and dedication to the roles - something that shines thru in their performances.
The story is told mostly thru the eyes of Will (Steven Booth), who is the "glue" that once held his friends Skip (Adam Halpin), Andy (Andrew C. Call), and Jack (Jessie JP Johnson) together. Jack is by far the one with stand-out vocal skills (uber-cute on top of that!) and I wish I could have heard (and seen) more from him.
Truth be told, it's not the deepest story. There's not a lot of action on stage and there's only so much you can do with a set that is a small section of an athletic field bleachers. It's basic and straightforward and no matter what you think about the performances, it has a character or storyline that will trigger a
memory of "I had a friend like that once" or "That happened to me and my friends once" or "He reminds me of..." I think you get the idea. We all remember the "glory days" of our youth.No spoilers here as to what exactly happens to whom. Let's just say that the boys bonded in their high school days because they were all different and come together a year after graduation to learn how each of them has or has not changed. At it's core, it's a story of how we all grow apart as we get older. Some of us struggle to hold on to the "glory days". Others among us relish the opportunity to evolve and grow. Friendships sometimes get caught in the middle. Perhaps it takes a pair of 23 year olds to express what this age old issue means to today's youth.
I enjoyed the fresh faces, the youthful energy and inexperience that frankly worked in their favor. I don't think it's destined for "Best Musical of 2008", but there's talent here both on and off stage. I'm going to guess we will be seeing a lot more from all of these boys - one way or another.