Camp
Charming and frequently hilarious, IFC Films'Campis likeFamefor the musical-theater set.  It's set at Camp Ovation, a summer retreat for budding actors and singers who chantStephen Sondheim's "Losing My Mind" on their bus rather than "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall."  Into this environment comes a--gasp!--straight male, Vlad (Daniel Letterle), who turns upside down the lives of wallflower Ellen (Joanna Chilcoat), cross-dressing Michael (Robin DeJesus), and instructor Bert Hanley (Don Dixon), a frustrated one-hit-wonder composer.Campwas written and directed by Todd Graff, himself aBroadway veteran, based on his experiences at New York's musical camp Stagedoor Manor (which was attended by Natalie Portman and Robert Downey Jr., among others).  The characters are a bit thin and the plot somewhat predictable, but themusical numbersare a lot of fun--older tunes are mixed with originals by Stephen Trask (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Michael Gore (Fame), and Lynn Ahrens (Ragtime,Seussical the Musical)--and fans of musicals will love the many inside jokes, especially those relating to Sondheim.--David Horiuchi