Review: JOHN HUGHES YOUR OWN ADVENTURE- LIVE is 90-Minutes of Pratfalls, Sight Gags, & Buffoonery

In the 1980’s John Hughes was a cinematic force. As producer and writer, he created massive box office blockbusters with Home Alone (technically 1990) leading the pack. As a director he had a significant cultural impact with his teenage coming of age comedies.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off enjoyed the biggest box office success among his teen comedies. Other beloved Hughes’ teen-angst films included The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Sixteen Candles.

The headliner at this summer’s St. Louis Fringe Festival was Cherokee Street Theatre Co.’s John Hughes Your Own Adventure - LIVE. The sold-out runaway hit was one of last summer’s hottest theater tickets.

This weekend, St. Louis Fringe and Cherokee Street Theatre Co. are reprising the outrageous satire at the Kranzberg Black Box. Twelve actors, supported by an offstage announcer (billed as The Voice of God), are hurling themselves about the stage in their homage to John Hughes and his classic films.

At points in the show, a recognizable musical interlude from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is heard. The action stops and the annoucer, Stan Davis - The Voice of God, asks the audience to make a choice – choosing their own adventure. It is a cute little interactive element that gives the audience agency and the production a bit of an improvisational feel.

Older cinephiles will have seen most of the iconic scenes from Hughes films included in John Hughes Your Own Adventure - LIVE. The show is a laugh-riot for Hughes fans who have watched his movies repeatedly. It is amusing and laugh inducing for those who’ve viewed most of Hughes work once or twice (that’s the category I fit into.) Folks who have not seen a lot of Hughes work will be entirely lost by the cast’s playful ridiculousness.

Trying to pick a few favorite performers from this all-in, insanely talented group of theatrical clowns would be like picking a favorite child. Nicole Angeli, Luis Aguilar, Soupy Alan David, Patience Davis, Ted Drury, Brennan Eller, Joseph Garner, Payton Gillam, Chris “Mr.” Jones, Ryan Lawson-Maeske, Rob McLemore, and Ben Ritchie bravely lean into the slapstick, executing with fearless physicality. There were times when pratfalls were gasp inducing as the actors, especially Lawson-Maeske and Garner, sacrificed their bodies for a laugh.

Director Suki Peters, also credited as one of the writers, packed her frenetic blocking with exaggerated sight gags. Peters’ blocking demanded non-stop farcical athletic stunts and buffoonery from her cast of jesters and fools.

Joseph Garner, Chris “Mr.” Jones, Rob McLemore, and Ben Ritchie are credited with Peters as the writers. Jeffrey Robert’s sound effects adds so much humor that the sound is a character unto itself. Kayla Lindsey does a phenomenal job costuming the actors in vintage John Hughes attire adding to the production's nostalgic silliness.

It took a team of four, Stan Davis, Patience Davis, Soupy Alan David, and Abby Lampe to manage the props, all critical to the sight gags. Bradley Rohlf’s spot-perfect lighting intentionally clocked with Peters’ high-speed zips, hits, and darts. Rohlf is a proficient technical theatre designer with top-notch prowess.

John Hughes Your Own Adventure - LIVE is a whole lot of fun for anyone familiar with Hughes work. Hughes enthusiasts and aficionados will be laughing through their tears.

John Hughes Your Own Adventure – LIVE continues at the Kranzberg Black Box Theater through December 14,2025. Visit stlfringe.org for more information.

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