Deliciously witty Teenage Dick is ATP's theatrical gem

Dylan Thomas-Bouchier and Anna Cummer in Teenage Dick at Alberta Theatre Projects (Photo: Benjamin Laird)

As the curtain rises on Teenage Dick, Richard (Dylan Thomas-Bouchier, in a mesmerizing unforgettable performance), who is going into senior year at Roseland High as a virgin with cerebral palsy, introduces himself by outlining the way he plans to elevate himself from secretary to the president of the school student association.

If you substitute Donald Trump in 2016 for Richard, outlining how he planned to defeat 15 Republicans to win the nomination and then Hillary Clinton to win the American presidency, you get the picture of Richard’s method.

To paraphrase a little bit of Tennessee Williams, it’s all lies and mendacity.

That’s the launch point of Teenage Dick, a deliciously witty and also dark dramedy by Mike Lew that roughly adapts Shakespeare’s Richard III into an American high school story.

The election itself is a three-way battle between Richard, popular football team starting quarterback but intellectually lazy Eddie Ivy (Todd Houseman, throwing a touchdown) and hyper-ambitious Clarissa (Emily Howard, effectively channelling Reese Witherspoon in Election).

They all share a class run by Elizabeth York (Anna Cummer, loud, proud and not to be trifled with), a political history teacher who can’t help inserting her agenda into the student election.

After all, it’s clear to Elizabeth that Richard is by far the most intelligent student in her class. With a little prodding from Richard, who is nothing if not persuasive, Elizabeth soon joins in his quest to stage a stunning upset by winning the presidency so that he might do her biding when it comes time to allocate the school’s discretionary funds.

All of it is bartered and brokered by wheelchair-bound Buck (Riki Entz, hilarious and biting), who knows Richard too well, loves Eddie too much and launches one scathing one-liner after another.

Dylan Thomas-Bouchier in Teenage Dick (Photo: Benjamin Laird)

All of it gets thrown for a loop when Richard, looking for a kill shot that might permanently unhinge Eddie, gets entangled with Eddie's ex, the most popular girl in school, Anne Margaret (Isabella Pederson, dynamic and moving).

Teenage Dick owes as much to the 1995 comedy classic Clueless – which was a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma – as it does Richard III.

It's funny, fast and furiously written by Lew, whose words are a delight to the ear – and a pleasure for the cast to perform, judging by their excellent performances.

All of it is exceptionally well-directed by Jenna Rodgers, who finds the perfect tempo to land the comedy and expertly steers the ship in the show's final, poignant moments.

The anchor of it all is Thomas-Bouchier, a Cree and Dene disability arts performer, who delivers a magnetic performance. From the moment he stands into the spotlight to deliver that opening monologue, Thomas-Bouchier captures your attention and it doesn't wane for the next two hours.

Cummer, Entz and Houseman provide lots of comic gems and Pederson is exceptional as the popular Anne whose relationship with Richard starts as a bit of a liberal guilt good intention, but then grows into much, much more.

Riki Entz, Todd Houseman and Dylan Thomas-Couchier in Teenage Dick at Alberta Theatre Projects (Photo: Benjamin Laird)

Teenage Dick, which is produced in conjunction with the Shakespeare Company and Hit & Myth Productions, closes Sunday but is well worth checking out. Tuesday's performance was packed with students and teachers at ATP's $20-a-ticket show, and from the sounds of their laughter, everyone got their money's worth.

And if you want a weekend full of unreliable narrators, The Shakespeare Company is presenting Richard III through Sunday.

For more information, go here.