Every generation has its own cultural touchstones. For American 30somethings who grew up in the ‘90s, TV teen sitcoms like “Saved By the Bell” and “Moesha” were not only entertainment but navigational tools for the minefield of adolescence.
They’re also the inspiration for San Diego playwright Christian St. Croix’s nostalgic new play “Zach,” which made its San Diego premiere last weekend in Loud Fridge Theatre Group’s production at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. The 80-minute comedy spoofs the TV shows, their wildly exaggerated characters and their canned laughter, while also tackling serious issues like racism, bullying and homophobia.
Set in Southern California in 1992, the play’s main characters are besties P.J. and Gina, who are bright, kind and motivated 16-year-olds at Malibu Heights High, but they struggle with self-confidence. P.J. is a Latinx surfer who works in his widowed mom’s taqueria, while Gina is Black, a devoted fashionista and possibly attracted to other girls.
Things begin to improve for them both when P.J. attracts a wealthy and pretty girlfriend and Gina is welcomed into the school’s ultra-cool Black Student Union. Then they’re thrust to the top of the school’s pecking order when the cool new kid in school, Zach — who proudly bills himself as “American, Caucasian, heterosexual and a Capricorn” — invites them to serve as his acolytes.
Sergio Morejon and Kendall Stallworth in Loud Fridge Theatre Group’s “Zach.”
(Courtesy of Brittany Carrillo)
Soon they’re pressed into Zach’s service pulling off increasingly cruel and destructive pranks and they must question what’s most important — being popular or being true to themselves. Sound like the plot of a sitcom episode? That’s no coincidence. The play alternates between P.J. and Gina talking to the audience as themselves or portraying other characters, and faux TV comedy scenes with pre-recorded laugh tracks.
Kendall Stallworth as Gina and Sergio Morejon as P.J. are both young, fresh and endearing actors who are believable in their roles as high school teens. They’re also good physical comedians, particularly Morejon as the overbearing Zach. Making her directing debut with “Zach,” Amira Temple keeps the story’s energy flowing and its humor buoyant.
The play’s physical production is minimal with a back wall decorated with ‘90s-era books, a Walkman, a corded phone, soft-sided lunchbox and New Wave clip art-style wallpaper designed by Hsi-An Chen. Estefanía Ricalde designed sound, Emily Carter designed costumes and Emily Johansson designed lighting.
Although it touches briefly on dark topics, “Zach” isn’t a heavy play. It’s got a message but it’s built to be consumed with the frothy exuberance of a TV sit-com. For children of the ‘90s, many of the lines and references in the play will spark memories. For others from different generations, it’s a pleasant trip back in time.
‘Zach’
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 4 p.m. Sundays. Through Oct. 28
Where: Loud Fridge Theatre Group at OnStage Playhouse, 291 Third Ave., Chula Vista
Tickets: $17-$30
Phone: (619) 387-8186
Online: loudfridge.com