Review: BRING IT ON at Musical Theater Southwest

By: Jan. 23, 2019
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Review: BRING IT ON at Musical Theater Southwest Bring It On - Musical Theater Southwest/Devon Frieder Productions

Albuquerque, NM 1/19/19

Can a girl who has had everything - boyfriend, school, popularity, power - ripped from her overcome all odds and become a success? This is the question posed to Campbell, played by director and Producer Devon Frieder in Devon Frieder Productions' Bring it On, playing throughout January at Musical Theater Southwest.

Loosely based on the 2000 movie of the same name, the show opens with Campbell remembering the first time she saw the Truman cheerleading squad. The lily-white "superhuman girls" were all Campbell aspired to be as a child, and she is now on the brink of becoming the squad's captain for her senior year. She wins the election, much to the chagrin of Queen Bee Skylar (Rikki Carroll) and her minion Kylar (Kierstan Johnson). Carroll's Skylar provides the perfect foil for sweet Campbell, stealing many scenes with her cutting one-liners. Campbell takes sophomore Eva (Veronica Baca) under her wing and makes her fourth in line to lead the squad.

Alas, all doesn't go as planned - Campbell is redistricted to Jackson, a school on the wrong side of the tracks. Not only is it a tough place to land, but it also has no cheerleading squad - what's a girl to do?

Campbell meets up with a hip hop crew, led by the formidable Danielle, played with passion by Jasmine K. Bernard. Danielle and her two sidekicks, Nautica and La Cienega rule the school and run the crew, and they make it clear that Campbell's plea for them to consider cheer falls on deaf ears. Played by Evie Long, Nautica has a rich, sassy voice that fills the black box theater and offers a great foil for La Cienega, played flawlessly by Trey Caperton. Caperton plays this part with over the top flamboyance and superlative dance skills. MSW would be wise to remember him when it's time to audition for Hedwig and the Angry Inch later this season.

Campbell convinces the crew to cheer, and after several other twists and turns, the new squad makes it to the finals, competing against the rival Truman squad, who realize their new leader Eva is not all she appears to be. In the end, both squads learn that being a team and supporting one another is more important than any trophy.

MSW is a challenging space for a show with choreography this big - some of the pyramids and formations were very close to the lighting grid, which actually added to the excitement. The ensemble was fearless in their ability to execute some very advanced cheer stunts. The minimal set could have gone a step further by losing the somewhat clunky lockers - a plain stage would have sufficed for much of the show.

Frieder had the unenviable task of directing, producing and starring in the show, which was no small feat. She was able to pull off all three with an effortlessness that is to be commended. Other standout performances came from Rachel Blount as Bridget, a sweet, frustrated girl doomed to wear the mascot costume, and Jaaziah Vallano as Twig, her love interest. Surprising vocals late in act two from Rodrigo M. Zaragoza as Randall, Campbell's love interest, made me wonder why he didn't have more to do in Act 1. Finally, Veronica Baca's as Eva is the perfect blend of mean girl drunk with power and psychopath. She offers much of the comic relief throughout the show and carries it off with aplomb.

All in all, the ensemble brought tons of energy and enthusiasm to their vocals and dance moves, making this a very entertaining night at the theater. MSW is getting better with every production - can't wait to see what they do next!

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