Theatre Review: Pop Punk High Is The Best Off-Broadway Show
Never in my life did I think I would walk away from a musical missing Avril Lavigne. Yet, Pop Punk High reminds us that she was the Pop Punk queen. For however much people may joke about her career or diminish the cultural impact Avril had on our times, Pop Punk High challenges you to ask, “Why are you so challenged by Pop Punk!?”
Yes, it is the father of emo and it is also the staple music for “kids that say they don’t care, but actually do,” but Pop Punk is, actually, an amazingly cool genre. From Blink 182 to Green Day, these bands gave an emotionality to the lines between carelessness and carefree. We all dream of conquering the world from our tiny basement with our friends. Just imagine how many potential Napoleons have done keg stands and rocked out to Sum 41 or Linkin Park. On this notion, Ben Lapidus arises as the protagonist/ anti-hero, Derek.
Derek is the perfect example that, though a person is bullied, they can also be horrible. While you want to feel bad that everyone hates Derek, Lapidus plays him like Shakespeare’s Richard III. He is devious, self-centered, and eager to be powerful. He may be the dweeb of Pop Punk High, but it does not mean he is a “good guy,” which is a twist that I admire Lapidus and Andrew Cook wrote and directed into the musical. As much as Pop Punk High is an epic homage to how fun and life-altering this genre has been to kids that didn’t fit in, it is also a musical about how “bad kids” can become good; they just need the chance to grow up.
As you watch Derek slowly become a better person in 90 minutes, the ladies of Pop Punk High steal the show. Amanda Centeno as Tib is so funny, charming, and show-stopping, people, immediately, cheered every time she came on stage. She simply puts a smile on your face, and automatically makes you laugh and applaud as her character finds the strength to show how smart and needed she is by the men around her. She is a 10, and every man, especially Patrick Sweeney’s Skeet, better recognize that. Yet, self-recognition of one’s power comes in every form at Pop Punk HIgh. From Jess Kaliban’s Amanda Bunkface to Kelly Krauter’s Avril Lavigne, the show is an unstoppable testament to strong women realizing their power should not be taken by weaker men.
Krauter, as Avril Lavigne, is like a comet crashing unto the stage. She brings an aura of star-like energy and presence that makes you feel she is, genuinely, Avril. Moreover, she helps you remember how impactful Avril was emotionally and stylistically to young people, especially girls. As she turns to Derek for help in figuring out who murdered her and put her in a genie, AXE bottle, she becomes an emblem of how many women get locked away by men who feel ashamed by their comparative powerlessness. Respecting powerful women is a lesson Derek must learn if he wants to end up with Amanda, and also defeat Pop Punk High’s Principal (Played by Jacob Grover).
Jacob Grover is hilarious as the Pop Punk Principal, and you can tell he is having a good time. The great thing about this musical is that it is very interactive with the audience, which leaves amazing opportunities for the actors to improvise and feed off the crowd’s energy. From tap-dancing, nerdy supportive parents to a very large, fake penis, you will get so many strange, funny moments from Pop Punk High. Moreover, you will feel apart of the cast, especially if you decide to dress up.
As cast members made jokes and danced with the audience, I noticed that people took the opportunity to get into their best Pop Punk wear. In showing at Le Poisson Rouge, this musical feels accessible and gives the crowd a chance to partake. You can be as goofy and Pop Punk as the cast, of which, sometimes, I could not tell the difference between audience and ensemble. Such an opportunity is rarely given, especially with a score that is as infectiously good as Pop Punk High’s. By the end of its 90 minutes people knew hooks, harmonies, and choruses as if they had written the musical’s songs, which was oddly moving. There is no doubt that each member of this cast is planning and can head into bigger, broader musical venues. Thus, if you want to see how much talent is heading to Broadway, then check out Off-Broadway’s Pop Punk High. Click Here To Buy Tickets. The show plays until November 1.
