Review: GIRLFRIEND at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre has a well-deserved reputation of exposing the local theatergoing community to new or lesser known musicals, as well as putting a new spin on those that we all love. While Girlfriend is not a revolutionizing world premiere, it is the DC debut of a relatively new musical - first seen at the well-respected Berkeley Repertory Theatre - that examines a budding relationship between two young adults in a way you might not expect. While the musical itself may not be my personal cup of tea as a whole, some catchy music (performed by a killer all-female band and two endearing actors) and the sweet, throwback story make it worthy of some positive attention.

Book writer Todd Almond has crafted an original story around Matthew Sweet's album of the same name. Sweet's album is about a lost female love, but in the musical, we take a journey with Will (Jimmy Mavrikes) and Mike (Lukas James Miller) - two average teenagers in Nebraska in 1993. Their high school days are nearing an end. Mike, a popular baseball player, is getting ready to go off to college - eager to get out from under his dad's thumb. Will, who is not going off to college, is more of the oddball outsider type. He is super psyched because Mike actually spoke to him and (wait for it) even gave him a mixed tape. Mike had previously paid him no mind.

An unexpected phone call from Mike results in the two going to the drive-in movie theater together. Mike keeps talking about his girlfriend - a girl who lives in another town who Will does not know. Will is slightly disillusioned (and confused), but Mike continues to connect and hang out with him and the two become closer. A budding summer romance emerges although there are obstacles. Mike worries about what his friends will say and his father's reaction, especially given he is always asking Mike about his relationship with the aforementioned girlfriend. It's a sweet love, but it surely can't last forever, can it? It is the summer between high school and college after all.

Almond's sweet story normalizes the relationship between Mike and Will and treats it like any other you might see in your standard romantic comedy-drama aimed at teens and young adults. This is what makes it unique - AIDS, the political struggles faced by the LGBTQ community, or other heavy issues aren't the focus here. While standard stories of budding relationships between young adults don't necessarily appeal to me - especially when they deal with the decidedly juvenile hijinks of your average high school boy - people that long to relive their high school days might be interested in this treatment. Current teens can potentially see themselves in this story, which is also immensely important. Sweet's pop-rock score is not as varied as I might prefer, but it does include some very catchy numbers that are fun to hear.

Jimmy Mavrikes and Lukas James Miler - while not provided with particularly rich characters to portray - are successful in delivering relatable, natural, and reasonably solid performances under Matthew Gardiner's direction. Mavrikes is the better singer and actor of the two - at least as demonstrated in the performance I attended - but Lukas James Miller is far from an embarrassment and more or less holds his own. The two have great chemistry.

Speaking of holding their own (and then some), let's talk about the four-member onstage female band. Britt Bonney (Keyboards/Conductor/Music Director), Beth Cannon (Guitar), Nicole Saphos (Bass), and Erika Johnson (Drums) rock out from the time the show begins to even after the actors leave the stage. Colin K. Bills adds in some fun lighting to spice things up even further. These talented instrumentalists also sing, providing excellent vocals as required throughout. ("You Don't Love Me/Sick of Myself" is sung entirely by the band, but they also provide backup vocals on their songs.) Britt Boney, in particular, has a few lovely solo moments.

Overall, while Girlfriend may not have been my favorite musical of the season, or even my favorite offering at Signature, it's not all bad news. The music is enough of a reason to give it a shot.

Photo: Lukas James Miller (Mike) and Jimmy Mavrikes (Will) pictured; by Christopher Mueller.

Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

GIRLFRIEND plays through June 10, 2018 at Signature Theatre, located at 4200 Campbell Avenue in Arlington, VA. For tickets, call the box office at 703-820-9771 or purchase them online.

To post a comment, you must register and login.