Theater review by Raven Snook
The queer coming-of-age memoir of a self-declared "two-hit wonder," F*ck7thGrade is a charmingly laid-back musical chronicle of Jill Sobule's divalution from middle school through middle age. Even if you don't recognize her name, you may have heard her snarky song "Supermodel" from the movie Clueless. Its absence from this theatrical concert demonstrates how the undersung singer-songwriter values storytelling above success.
Book writer Liza Birkenmeier supplies vivid details and poignant punchlines to connect the musical dots of Sobule's eclectic folk-rock catalog. Starting in seventh grade, Sobule realized she wasn't like the other girls. While they obsessed over horses, clothes and boys, she loved her chopper bike, her guitar and Suzi Quatro. ("Everyone had secrets: Me, my mom, Nixon.") After growing up, landing a record deal and releasing the 1995 single "I Kissed a Girl," Sobule still felt like an outsider who wasn't even out; she recalls hearing music execs talking smack about Melissa Etheridge and Tracy Chapman and then saying, "Thank God Jill's not gay."
Sporting an adorable pixie cut and an Orange Crush tee, and belting in fabulous voice, Sobule fronts a badass band of women—Kristen Ellis-Henderson on drums, Nini Camps on bass and the invaluable musical director Julie Wolf on keyboards—who also play small but pivotal roles in this journey of self-acceptance. With battered lockers behind her, Sobule plays guitar and even drums on "Bitter," arguably her masterpiece. Although that song was released in 1997, she smartly uses it to dramatize the kerfuffle that ensued when Katy Perry’s teasing 2008 hit "I Kissed a Girl" (no relation) skyrocketed up the charts and put Sobule back in the pop-culture consciousness.
Loosely directed by Lisa Peterson, F*ck7thGrade feels almost like a fan meetup: episodic and casual, with Sobule talking directly to the audience and even chatting with friends from the stage. It doesn't dig very deep; Sobule is stingy on personal details about her current life, preferring to amuse rather than analyze. But it's warm and fuzzy fun. Like Sobule’s artistry, the show is unsentimental, humorous and gently weird: a tribute to all the oddballs still haunted by former selves.
F*ck7thGrade. The Wild Project (Off Broadway). Music and lyrics by Jill Sobule. Book by Liza Birkenmeier. Directed by Lisa Peterson. Starring Sobule. Running time: 1hr 30 mins. No intermission.
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