EXETER — The Wyoming Area Drama Club’s latest production, titled “Midsummer Jersey,” is a jaunty mix of old and new with a tanned-skin twist.
A romantic comedy and parody of Shakespeare’s classic, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Jersey” takes place in modern-day Wildwood, N.J., and features characters that resemble members of MTV’s hit reality show, “Jersey Shore.”
“I think the play itself was written that way because the main characters are Cookie and The Understatement,” stage manager and Wyoming Area senior Nina Minnelli said. “I think that’s definitely a playoff of Snooki and The Situation.”
The play will be performed at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 in the secondary center auditorium.
Written by playwright Ken Ludwig and released in 2011, “Jersey” opens up with the principal of Wildwood High School presenting Cookie and The Understatement to an auditorium of excited students on the last day of school. After students ask about their marriage, the duo decides to tell the students of the unusual — and magical — day they got married.
The plot revolves around the wedding day of the New Jersey governor and the love affairs of four high-school crushes (including Cookie and The Understatement) that get intermingled and mish-moshed by some mischief-making fairies equipped with a love potion.
Bullions said she chose “Jersey” because she was a fan of Ludwig’s other plays.
“I was looking for something that would be fun,” Bullions said. “He (Ludwig) wrote this specifically for college and high school students.”
The club has been preparing for “Jersey” since the start of the school year. Although they said much of rehearsal has been filled with laughter and witty puns, some seniors admitted that it hasn’t been all fun and games.
While many of the club’s students are familiar with “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and Shakespeare’s other works from school, they said that learning parts of the monologue required some research and transcribing.
“There’s some of the ‘Midsummer’ dialogue interspersed, and then it goes into some more modern conversation,” Bullions said. “Also, there is actually word-for-word dialogue in Pyramus and Thisbe in the ‘Romeo and Juliet’ scene.”
The club’s members believe that since “Jersey” is a concoction of classic Shakespeare and realistic, modern-day characters that audience members of all ages can appreciate and enjoy the play.
“It’s actually hilarious,” senior Kira Kusakavitch said, who will be playing the role of salon-owner Patti Quince.
Students said one of the most notable parts of the play is a reference to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — or “Brangelina” — that may now be a bit ironic since their recent divorce filing hit mainstream media last month.
“This play was written in 2011 when Brad Pitt and Angelina were like the power couple, and now they’re not anymore. So that line is still relevant, but just a little bit different,” senior Morgan Chesna said.
Minnelli said she hopes audience members will see that the club can perform both old and new plays, and in a way that can be funny and educational at the same time.
“That we can still keep it classical and do very classical plays like a Shakespearean one but still appeal to our audience,” she said.
Bullions said she hopes the audience will realize that even after all these years, Shakespeare is still relevant today.
“I mean, this is Shakespeare,” she said. “It may be, you know, as one of the characters says, ‘goosed up’ a little bit but it’s the story. It’s the story about teenage love, and not getting along with parents and all of the confusion that goes along with being a teenager.”
Roughly 50 club members will participate in “Jersey,” either on or off-stage. The club is also a troupe in the International Thespian Society and has previously won state titles for writing and performance pieces. During the summer, some of the club’s students traveled to Lincoln, Neb., to compete for a national title.
Proceeds from the play go back into the drama club to help fund the club’s upcoming performances, as well a help fund trips and transportation for competitions.
“All of the shows that we do, it raises money for our next performance. So that’s how we kind of make our way,” Minnelli said.
The club’s next performance will be their spring musical in March.
