Funny Times At Ridgefield Middle School

What do hipster music group MGMT and the award-winning Broadway musical, “In The Heights” have in common? They are both created by alumni of Wesleyan University. I am a big fan of both of these creations so when I discovered that another duo of Wesleyan alumni were bringing a show they co-wrote to the Capital Fringe Festival, I was pretty excited to see what they had to show. My brother, another Wes alumn, informed me that his friends were putting on a hilarious show which he couldn’t get enough of when he was back at college.

The two-person show, “Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite” is an original play written by the hilarious duo of Jo Firestone and Dylan Marron. (Check out the website here: talentnite.com!) The two of them act out more than 15 characters in this laugh-at-loud talent show of middle school awkwardness and hilarity. The show takes us back to of all the gawky and uncomfortable times we had while trying to grow up in middle school. Firestone and Marron remind us of how middle schoolers not only act in general, but also how they deal with nervousness on “the best night of their life” while performing in their school’s talent show amongst family, friends, and teachers.

A photo of one of the acts.

It’s hard to talk about this show without giving too much of it away. I can tell you though, that this show involves some audience participation, such as (ahem) joining the assistant school principal in the Pledge of Allegiance before the show starts. Among the Talent Show’s memorable acts include, poetry reading, stand-up comedy, a magic act, song and dance, a ventriloquist act, and much, much, more! Since we are constantly reminded that this is only Middle School, some of the best parts of this Talent Nite come when not quite everything goes as planned. We share in the experience of numerous technical difficulties, too-hyper kids, not-so rehearsed acts, and lest we forget, the inevitable problem of stage fright.

I could go on an on about how entertaining and silly this show gets, but it just wouldn’t be the same as going to see it for yourself (duh). Below is a fabulous short of some of the best parts of the show. 

You can see “Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite” for yourself at the Goethe Institut Mainstage at 812 7th Street, NW (Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro). The show is 50 minutes and the venue is right next to the awesome bar, RFD’s. I was telling my brother that it would be pretty fun to get a group together, have drinks at RFD’s beforehand, and then go to the play. As you might imagine, the better the audience is, the better the show will be, so fun audience members are sure to make your experience better. The remaining shows are Sunday, July 18 at 3PM; Wednesday, July 21 at 8PM; Saturday, July 24 at 6PM; and Sunday, July 25 at 3PM. For ticket information, please see the Capital Fringe Festival’s website: capitalfringe.org.

If any of you want to see the show (as you should!) please let me know and I will definitely go see it again with you!