The 1985 John Hughes film The Breakfast Club shows five high school students from totally different backgrounds, finding common ground during a Saturday morning detention.
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The story of cliques and friendship is as true to life today as it was 31 years ago, leading young local actors to stage the story at Mudgee’s Town Hall Theatre next month, on June 17, 18, 24 and 25.
Hayden Wake, regularly seen on stage in performances by Mudgee Performing Arts Society, will take his first turn in the director’s chair for the production.
The 17-year-old’s enthusiasm for the film has proved contagious, and the cast of teenagers has developed an adaptation that reflects their passion and commitment to the story.
The film is well-suited to a stage adaptation, taking place almost entirely in a single room of the school library and basing its action around conversations between its small cast of characters.
Hayden and his team have kept the film’s mid-80s setting and soundtrack.
He said the nostalgia of the project was a big part of its appeal, but it was also about the connections between the characters and the tingles brought on by the last scene, which sends them out into the world as changed people to the sound of Simple Minds.
Cast member Kady Elliott is a long-time fan of The Breakfast Club, and could already quote most of her lines when she was cast as the “basket case” Allison.
She has lost none of her enthusiasm for The Breakfast Club through the repetition of rehearsal – instead, the performers’ close examination and discussion of the film has opened up new depths and different interpretations of the subtle looks between characters.
She can still see the divisions between cliques in school today, such as jocks, nerds, outcasts, and popular students, and believes the film shows what could happen if the groups spent time together.
Hayden said directing, organising and scheduling had been more challenging than he expected, but it had been exciting to see how far the production had come over two months of rehearsals.
He said it had developed something of its own character through the personalities of its performers and the transition to the stage, but audiences would enjoy the many nods to the original.
