Media Credit: Photo courtesy
of Evan Wecksell
Couple | Evan Wecksell and Kelly Meyersfield perform in
"College: The Musical," which runs through Feb. 24 at
The Actor's Playpen.
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Minutes before the
show began in a cozy blackbox theater in West Hollywood,
alternative rock bands such as Dave Matthews and Dashboard
Confessional played over the speakers as the audience filed in.
Though rather sparse, the set depicted two dorm rooms quite
accurately: The girl's room was complete with a pink laptop case
and a single stuffed animal sitting on the bed, while the guy's
contained a desk crowded with various alcohol bottles and posters
of pop culture icons, such as "Family Guy," hanging on the wall.
As the room darkened, Dave Matthews was replaced by effervescent
pop music and an equally bubbly woman, singing to her diary about
how she was finally out on her own.
Ever wake up with a stranger in your bed after a long night you
hardly remember with a stale taste in your mouth?
Well, so have Evan Wecksell, Kelly Meyersfield and the majority of
the student body across the nation.
"College the Musical: A Musical About College" is a hilariously
honest musical comedy written and produced by Wecksell and
Meyersfield, who are married in real life.
"College" follows Amy (Meyersfield), the bright-eyed freshman who
is ready to marry the first frat boy she kisses. One can just
imagine Amy's surprise when the hopelessly sleazy Julius
(Wecksell) fails to call her back after their night together.
Thus begins Amy's tumultuous college ride, consisting of
practically every worst-case scenario possible for an innocent
freshman.
Wecksell and Meyersfield sing about it all: the correlation
between alcohol and one-night stands, unprotected sex and STDs,
Natty Ice and a horrible morning after.
This musical is not for your overprotective, conservative parents,
nor is it an imitation of Broadway sensations, such as "Rent" and
"Spring Awakening."
"We took her songs and my songs, wrote a few more songs for the
show and Kelly created a whole storyline around them," Wecksell
stated in the press release.
Crooning to acoustic guitars and '80s synthesizers, "College"
keeps it simple. No one is HIV-positive, nor is anyone committing
suicide. The show's deepest meaning is not love or death, but
merely to wear a condom unless you want to become an "accidental
daddy" as Amy affectionately sings.
Wecksell and Meyersfield are fresh, original and raunchy. Whether
it's Amy describing her loss of virginity as someone "jamming a
baseball bat into a key hole" or Julius expressing that if it
wasn't for alcohol, he'd still be a virgin.
To Wecksell and Meyersfield, there are no boundaries.
Both performers are talented in their own right. Singer-actress
Meyersfield has an impressive background in theater, film and
television, while the musical comedian Wecksell regularly tours
colleges performing his original songs.
Meyersfield's voice is easy on the ears with just the right touch
of comedic effect. She tops off her na've Amy with quirky dance
moves that are complete with fan kicks, jazz hands and
interpretive poses.
While Wecksell does not possess a Broadway-bound voice, he has the
charm, wit and laugh to keep him afloat. As the freshman predator
Julius, the nice-guy residential advisor Ray or Amy's valley girl
best friend, Wecksell shines in each role.
Together, with their ridiculous lyrics and movements, the husband
and wife team provide a whole bunch of laughs. Even Meyersfield
has problems staying in character when opposite her cross-dressing
husband. They have a good time, which rubs off on the audience.
While "College" is a brief 45 minutes, the show feels rushed at
times. As the lights flooded the little theater, it left me
wanting more.
Don't feel like going through the usual drunken moments this
weekend? At "College," having a good time does not cost you that
hated hangover the following morning.
One will be saying, "Man, if only STDs were this much fun in real
life."