Princeton, NJ — On the night that I attended “Empire Records: The Musical” at the McCarter’s Berlind Theater, I was seated just two rows away from the action. The set literally loomed over me: the front window of a record store, plastered with band posters from the 1980s and ‘90s — Metallica, Green Day, Nine Inch Nails; and an upper platform with “EMPIRE RECORDS” spelled out in neon. The theater was surprisingly packed for a Wednesday night, although I saw hardly anyone close to my age (a teenager). Once the lights dimmed, I settled back in my seat for the next hour and forty minutes.
“Empire Records” is a show about a group of teenagers working at a record store in a small town in New Jersey. Although they don’t get paid much, they love their jobs and the record store – one of the only places that will accept them as they are. That’s important, since all of the characters have their own struggles that make them outcasts. Gina wants to leave the town and her toxic mother but doesn’t have enough money and feels trapped by society’s expectations of a girl like her (presented perfectly in the “Girls Like Me” number). Debra struggles with depression and suicidal ideation. Corey is sweet and follows the rules but is secretly a fangirl and a nerd. AJ makes strange art and has a huge crush on Corey but is too shy to say it. And the list goes on.
Tensions rise when musician Rex Manning comes to the store for a special event and shows everyone his true nature. His issues mix with the record store’s financial troubles to create a conflict that carries through to the end of the production. After everything is resolved, the cast comes back out on stage to tell a brief history of the real Empire Records store – recently reopened with shelves full of old and new popular songs…