The opening performance of the new DVC musical Freaky Friday sold out on March 17. The cast was accompanied by a live band, which added to the fullness of the musical’s sound experience. The show, which runs through Sunday, March 26, contains life lessons fitting for college-age viewers.

“Freaky Friday is about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes and learning that the grass isn’t always greener,” said director Lisa Drummond.

The musical tells the story of a teenage girl who doesn’t get along with her mother, Katherine, who is about to get remarried. The plot deepens when the two switch bodies.
The 1972 novel Freaky Friday, written by Mary Rogers, has been adapted to film five times. The most famous adaptation is the 2003 movie starring Lindsay Lohan as the lead character Ellie.

The musical, released in 2016, is based on a separate book by Bridget Carpenter called Friday Night Lights, Parenthood.

In DVC’s performance, the role of Ellie is played by Kyla Guasco, a 19-year-old drama major who has been acting since she was five. The show represents her second time performing at DVC and her first role in a musical.

Guasco described her shock in the moment when she learned she had gotten the part. “It felt like I had frozen in time,” she said.

To get into character, Guasco was initially supposed to wear a wig. However, she told the team that she was willing to dye her hair instead. But changing her hair color wasn’t the most challenging part. Because the musical is a comedy, Guasco said it can be difficult to introduce emotional elements into the story, which are important for the construction of the characters.

In Freaky Friday, Ellie’s father’s death is a part of the plot that isn’t discussed at length. But the few times it’s mentioned are important for the storyline.

“To hide the ghost while keeping the comedy alive was a little difficult at first,” Guasco added.

After Ellie and her mother, Katherine, switch bodies, Ellie becomes her mom in terms of behavior—which forced Guasco to play two different characters at once.

She said she felt most comfortable as the daughter. “I am still a teenager and I was like that dramatic teenage girl,” said Guasco. “I remember what it feels like to be one.”

On the other hand, “being the mom was difficult because I had to learn how to be older than I am.”

Her character’s experience seems to embody the message of the story, which Drummond said is about learning to see through someone else’s eyes and having empathy for others.

“I think if we could all put ourselves in each other’s shoes and see the challenges each of us faces,” said Drummond, “we would treat each other with more love, kindness, and compassion.”