THE DEB
Producers: UNIGRAM, Camp Sugar Productions, Bunya Productions
Director: Rebel Wilson
Written by Hannah Reilly, Meg Washington, Rebel Wilson
Choreographer: Rob Ashford
Associate Choreographer: Michaeljon Slinger
Director of Photography: Ross Emery
Production Designer: Sam Hobbs
Costume Designer: Margot Wilson
Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut is a bold, outrageous, and funny Australian musical about two very different teenage cousins who initially clash but eventually join forces to make their mark on their town’s annual debutante ball.
The Deb follows lovable farm girl and high school outcast Taylah Simpkins (Natalie Abbott), who is certain the upcoming Debutante Ball, “the Deb,” is her one chance to redefine herself. When her cynical city cousin Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) is exiled to Taylah’s drought-stricken town Dunburn, she thinks the ball is a “heteronormative shit-show” and immediately disrupts the status quo. In their search for the spotlight, Taylah and Maeve dig deep to find self-acceptance — and a date to the Deb.
In the tradition of the best musicals, the story unfolds in memorable, whip-smart songs written by Meg Washington, with lyrics by Washington and Hannah Reilly. As Taylah dreams of being invited to the town’s debutante ball and Maeve rails against such “heteronormative bullshit,” the two girls clash, crash, and ultimately connect. And Dunburn turns out to be a lot more complex than its country fair would indicate. Wilson herself delivers a delicious turn as the local aspiring cool mom.
For everyone navigating, observing, or panicking over contemporary teen girl life, The Deb is an absolute blast.