Spread the Love: The Revolting Cheerleaders by John Donald O’Shea

This week we Spread the love for The Revolting Cheerleaders by John Donald O’Shea.

Transcript

Welcome to this week’s Spread the Love, where we continue our series on the football themed plays in the Theatrefolk cannon. This week we are looking at The Revolting Cheerleaders by John Donald O’Shea. Now the revolting cheerleaders in this play are not gross, disgusting. They are – “Stand up! Fight! Revolt!” And that’s what the cheerleaders are doing in this play. It’s a time honoured tradition that the cheerleaders pay for, if you can imagine, the snacks that the football players eat pre-game. And some of the cheerleaders are not too happy about this, and they decide they don’t want to do it anymore, and because of it get kicked off the team. Of course, hilarity and calamity ensues. Craig what do you love about The Revolting Cheerleaders?

It’s starting to rain here. The Revolting Cheerleaders is a little bit of 90210, with a little bit of farce on top in a big huge melodrama stew. It’s set in a modern day high school. And the characters are hilarious too. I mean, there’s an offensive lineman named Lance Lugnut in the play. How could he not be hilarious? Lindsay what do you love about The Revolting Cheerleaders?

Well the first thing I love is that I’m going to remember the name. The Revolting Cheerleaders – what drew me to the play when I first read and what I’ve always loved about it is the language. I am a real language buff, I love the way dialogue sounds. And this one has such an interesting take!

Of course, cheerleaders and football players are not stereotypically known for their intellectual prowess. In The Revolting Cheerleaders there’s a lawsuit in the middle of the play and these characters start talking like lawyers at the drop of a hat. And I love that. I love when characters speak against stereotype and completely out of character and completely unexpected. And now it is really starting to rain so we’re going to say farewell for Spread the Love!