‘Theater Camp’ Sundance Film Festival Review: The Adirondacks Gets Its Due In Musical Comedy Directed By Molly Gordon And Nick Lieberman

deadline.com:

Theater Camp is a hilarious film by first time directors Molly Gordon (Booksmart), and Nick Lieberman. This was a collaborative effort between friends as it’s written by Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Nick Lieberman, and Noah Galvin.

You can tell this is a labor of love because while it’s kooky, it’s full of vulnerability and earnestness. The movie opens at AdirondACTS (located in the Adirondacks in upstate NY), a rundown theater camp founded by Joan (Amy Sedaris).

While they’re readying for the summer session of kids to arrive, the staff is shocked to learn Joan has fallen ill. A diverse group of kids showed up,  many of whom are unsure of their talents but the camp staff is worried that without their leader, they won’t be able to move on, but they do manage to finally pull it together to get these kids into shape.

The AdirondACT crew is composed of a peculiar bunch of characters. Amos (Ben Platt) and Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon) are the theater director who teaches acting and singing; Glenn (Noah Galvin) is the in-house stage manager; Clive (Nathan Lee Graham) is the dance teacher who can’t stop talking about Studio 54; Gigi (Owen Thiele) who is in charge of costume design; Janet (Ayo Edebiri) doesn’t know what she’s doing; and Joan’s son Troy (Jimmy Tatro), a clout chasing himbo who inherited the camp from his mom.