A lot of film discourse is about "representation" — the portrayal, or lack thereof, of marginalized communities on the silver screen. Done well, representation can make the theater-going experience particularly magical; I'll never forget remember watching the first Black Panther at the AMC Magic Johnson in Harlem, surrounded by an audience that strongly identified with the Wakandan superheroes. Cheers and jeers alike were louder than I've almost ever heard. 

Key word: almost. Amid the Barbenheimer phenomenon, which created a shoulder-to-shoulder packed Tuesday night AMC lobby to see the eponymous two films, almost every other theater showing was close to empty. So when I sat down for Theater Camp, the directorial debut of both  Nick Lieberman and actress Molly Gordon, I expected it to be a quiet showing; after all, there were only a dozen other people in the small space. 

But for the full sub-90 minute showtime, the rest of the audience was cackling, yelling, wincing, and exclaiming at every punch and punchline on screen. It was soon clear: old or young, Black or white, they were all theater camp kids, and this was their representation. If that's you, too, this is a must-watch. 

Fear not, though, for non-theater-camp kids have plenty to love about this limited-release gem. The movie opens introducing us to AdirondACTS executive director Joan (a hilariously dry Amy Sedaris, whose presence in just a few minutes of screentime makes Joan's cult status among campers believable), who falls into a coma in what we're told is the only Bye, Bye, Birdie-related injury in Passaic County history. The show at her musical theater summer camp must go on, though, so her son Troy takes the mantle. However, his fratty confusion around the campers means he is quickly overshadowed by fan-favorite counselors Amos and Rebecca-Diane, two relatively washed-up would-be performers who have been at AdirondACTS for over a decade. Soon enough, drama between the campy counselors, a looming private-equity buy-out offer, the chaos of summer camp, and an unfinished final performance all collectively raise the stakes.

The roster of rising stars in Theater Camp leaves nothing to be desired. Jimmy Tatro plays his usual more-complex-than-he-seems frat guy chad (which he's even further perfected to a real science since his star turn in American Vandal), Noah Galvin is far droller and more talented than he seems in Twitter-clipped scenes from The Good Doctor, Patti Harrison tones down her insanity from I Think You Should Leave and successfully channels it towards comic corporate villainy. Screen veterans like Caroline Aaron and Nathan Lee Graham tie down the Millennial inclinations of the others but match their energy. And the cast of child actors is so funny — a movie about summer camp hinges on the child actors! — that they steal scenes in their own right but also counterbalance the immaturity of their counselors. 

The two stars are the weakest of the cast; Ben Platt has always annoyed me, especially with his absolute refusal to acknowledge his nepo-baby roots, and Molly Gordon, who's impressed me as an actor in Ramy and Shiva Baby, puts her best foot forward as a director here but not a star. 

The film's documentary-style camerawork and cinematography can get a little tiring, with probably one too many shaky-cam shots and Succession-style mid-zoom camera blurs, but for the most part matches well the frenetic pace and energy of the film's subjects. The same is true for the score (both within the movie and the play-within-a-movie), which is funny but can be a little much. 

"Funny but a little much" is, coincidentally, what can also be said for theater camp kids everywhere. So it's only fitting that a movie where they can see themselves represented is the same.