It is a truth universally acknowledged that the most stressful time in a college student’s life is finals season. Nearly every young adult knows that intense feeling of anxiety when it’s the night before what feels like the biggest and most daunting exam you’ll ever take in your life and you just haven’t studied enough. There is really only one thing to do in a situation like this: pull an all nighter.
That is exactly the plot of Natalie Margolin’s new, aptly titled off-Broadway play All Nighter. It follows five college students over the course of one last all nighter in the library before they graduate college. Throughout the night, the girls make new discoveries about one another that test the bounds of their friendship and align with the play’s tagline: “You trust me, don’t you?”
Although the content of this play is extremely relevant to our lives as college students, the real reason we decided to venture into Hell’s Kitchen to make it to one of the shows in its short 12 week run was the cast. The show features only five characters, but it is absolutely stacked with talent.
Kristene Froseth, of “The Buccaneers,” “The Society,” and “Looking for Alaska,” is Darcie. Kathryn Gallagher, Tony Award nominee and Grammy Award winner for her role in “Jagged Little Pill” on Broadway, is Jacqueline. Julia Lester, who stars in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” is Wilma. Havana Rose Liu, of “Bottoms,” is Lizzy. And Alyah Chanelle Scott, from HBO’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” is Tessa.
As you can see, this cast is full of stars from a number of shows, movies and musicals beloved by teenage girls (especially the two of us). And with the Newman Mills Theater being just a short train ride and a few subway stops away, we had no choice but to go see this show. So, on Sunday March 2, during the show’s first week of previews, we trekked through the bitter cold to uncover the secrets that this group of friends was hiding during their last all nighter.
The show opens as the girls slowly trickle into the library to study for their exams and finish up papers. One by one, these actresses step onto the stage and take on the role of these somewhat immature, funny college students. Our first query was why the stage was only set with four chairs when the cast was five people. But shortly thereafter, we were introduced to the character of Wilma, an outsider of the group who brings both her own chair and big personality. Some of the others are unsure of their feelings about her character, and this underlying conflict begins to reveal the divides within the group.
Throughout the evening, the girls crack jokes, tell stories about the ghost that lives in their house, and encourage each other to persevere through the long night of studying. Their all nighter is fueled by two things: hummus and adderall. Lizzy comes to the table with 10 pills, starting the show paranoid because she knows she had packed 12 and thinks someone is stealing her pills. The group pushes her concerns aside–chalking them up to their mysterious ghost–and pops pills without much worry.
As the night goes on, more rifts in their group dynamic are revealed as Tessa deals with a minor issue of identity theft, Jacqueline frets over her girlfriend Claire’s strange behavior, and Darcie is on her last leg trying to keep the group afloat. The climax of the play had us on the edge of our seats, as the girls took turns screaming at each other, starkly contrasting the lighthearted energy that they began the play with. The ending is inconclusive, and as the lights went down, we were left wondering how these girls will maintain their friendships in post-grad life.
After the actors took their final bows, we stood in the blistering cold at the stage door, hoping for an autograph or two. While we waited for what felt like forever, we discussed how mind-boggling the play had been. The ending had so many twists and turns that left us with so much to talk about. But we were certain of one thing: we loved it. The play was an excellent portrayal of the complicated dynamics of female friendships, so authentic that it made us wonder where we would be senior year, the night before our final exams and papers were due. Even with the play covering such serious topics like lying, addiction and mental disorders, it was still fun to look back on as we remembered the many laughs we shared in the theater.
Our time in the cold was rewarded when we eventually got to meet all five members of the cast and share with them how much we loved the play and past projects of theirs. As Vassar students, we had to talk to Alyah Chanelle Scott about filming “The Sex Lives of College Girls” on our campus. Her two cents was that Poughkeepsie is “grim,” and we were quick to agree. All of the incredibly talented women were extremely kind to us and everyone else at the stage door, offering countless photos and autographs.
While we don’t want to spoil too much about the show, we definitely recommend that you go see All Nighter. With a relatable setting, compelling plot and star-studded cast that you have the opportunity to meet afterwards, this show is a must-see production. So, if you trust us, go get your tickets to see All Nighter before it closes on May 18!