Excellent Storytelling Makes This Camp Rock!

The company of TCR'S Camp Rock

By James E. Trainor III; photos by Alisabeth Von Presley

Cedar Rapids - Camp Rock: The Musical is based on the 2010 Disney Channel movie Camp Rock 2. The story follows a typical Hollywood plot structure; the setup is simple and is established quickly: Brown Cesario (Timmothy Palmersheim, who plays the role with a relaxed, easy presence) runs Camp Rock, a music camp for teens. The kids look up to him and enjoy the chance to work together on their talents, but the situation is threatened by the arrival of Camp Star, a brand new state-of-the-art facility across the lake run by Cesario's rival and ex-bandmate, Axel Turner (played with just the right combination of sleaze and style by Will Lenzen). With some help from tenacious camper Mitchie Torres (played with confidence and charm by Meredith Diebold) and Cesario's nephews, the popular boy band Connect Three (Adam Miller, Cole Cooper and Brennan Urbi work quite well together as these talented but kind teen rock stars), they are able to drum up the courage and commitment to face off in a "final jam" against their smug, sophisticated rivals.

Despite the tried-and-true formula, I found TCR's production of Camp Rock quite earnest and engaging. The show depicts the creative struggle quite well, and has some very honest character moments. The choreography is spectacular, and at the same time, it tells the story very effectively; choreographer/director Lovar Davis Kidd clearly knows how to push these young performers to give it their best. The spirit of the company is infectious, and I found myself tapping my feet to the beat as the show rocked along.

The most effective character work in the show comes in the numbers where the campers come together to create something greater than their individual parts. Of course, it's encouraging enough to see the Camp Rock kids working together as the Camp Star divas try to elbow each other out of the spotlight, but what's most interesting to watch is Mitchie's journey as she struggles with learning how to be a leader. In the number "Heart and Soul," Mitchie pushes her peers to their limit trying to get a great show out of them, to the exhaustion of the camp at large and the particular irritation of her boyfriend, Shane Gray. It's a challenge to find a young performer who can not only sing and dance with urgency but also act with nuance and honesty, and Diebold is refreshingly real in this role. Her struggle expresses the emotional stress of the creative process quite well, and it's a theme that's relevant to both teens and adults.

The show seems to be about honing your personal skills and overcoming challenges, but it takes an interesting turn here, where Connect 3 takes the stage and reminds the campers that making art isn't just a lot of hard work and skill: it's also a whole lot of fun. "Practice makes perfect," Shane sings, "but perfect's not working." What Camp Rock has on their precise and polished rivals at Camp Star is the pure love of the work -- the idea that they're on stage because there's nowhere else they can imagine being.

Such enthusiasm is easy to relate to, but it could easily come off as trite if not for the care Kidd takes with the choreography. Every dance number has a purpose in the story, and tells us a lot more about the characters than the lyrics do. Characters like Sander Loya (Jordan Lunsford) and Barron James (Denzell Hayes) don't have any solos or even many lines; their personalities are presented kinetically. Lunsford and Hayes, with their refreshingly original style, are a lot of fun to watch. One of the best moments in the show is when these two challenge their rivals to dance in "It's On." Kidd showcases the Camp Star kids' studio style as a contrast to the Camp Rock kids' street. Led by Tess Tyler (Sydney Lewis) and Luke Williams (Josh Payne), the troupe plays numbers like "Fire" and "Tear it Down" with a camera-hogging arrogance that is at once charming and infuriating. Lewis and Payne bring considerable skill to the table, and their characters are drawn very clearly through the choreography. The care taken to differentiate the two groups is what makes the main plot of the song and dance competition so entertaining to watch.

Jordan Lunsford (foreground) as Sander;
Denzell James as Barron.

Kidd's style of choreography works well for the stage, and particularly for this show, because it engages the individual dancer. The performers throw themselves into it, packing each jump and gesture with their own passion. This is a large company for this stage, and Kidd uses this to his advantage by filling the stage with intense, exciting motion.

All of the principals worked very hard to make this show work, with the acting as well as the song and dance. There were also several other performers, both named characters and ensemble, who turned in strong performances. Lincoln Ginsberg, Becca Hauschild, Emmy Lane Palmersheim, Sydney Speltz, and Nina Yu deserve special mention, but everyone in Camp Rock was throwing everything they had into creating a fun and dynamic show. Kudos to TCR, music director Alex Shields, and Lovar Davis Kidd for putting on this show: it's an excellent platform for teens who want to hone their skills at musical theatre.

Camp Rock plays through August 19 on the mainstage at TCR; tickets available here.