*** This is a hard review to write. I have only seen one of the films of the “Twilight Saga” and if I remember correctly, that was about 17 years ago. Tonight, watching the young crowd at the Apollo Theatre on Lincoln Avenue respond to the satire of the strong cast of players doing the satirical  look at the characters and plots, I felt that this cast had pulled off exactly what they had intended doing- creating a parody of a collection of stories that  has been alive since 2008.

“Twihard!: a Twilight Musical Parody” has a book ( and lyrics) by TiffanyKeane Schaefer and music by Brian Rasmussen. There is no set per se, but the band is on the stage on different levels and there are some pieces that the actors use as set pieces. Schaefer  has smoothly directed this satire and although they say the show is 2 1/2 hours including the intermission ( 15 minutes), don’t count on it. It was much closer to 3 hours, and in fact, there is even a joke relative to the narrator ( Aliyah Necaise) showing us her parking ticket for an expired meter. I am sure that is just one of the jokes in the show, but it worked!

The original book that the series was based on was written by Stephanie Meyer and is considered a romantic fantasy novel. The film version made some changes and it appears that the Schaefer & Rasmussen version, “Twihard!: A Twilight Musical Parody” takes it to another level. I will tell you that the cast has lots of fun and again the younger audience members who are truly into the saga, were ready for all of the satirical looks at the story of Bella ( a dynamic performance by Rachel Arianna, who proves that good things come in small packages) and her romance with Edward ( played to perfection by Peter Stiestra) . This is the  one that is fun to watch ( even for an old geezer like me).

There is fun, dancing ( some wonderful tap with choreography by Taylor Mitchell), and one of the greatest parts of doing a satirical look , ad-libs. Yes there were several “off-script” lines that broke up the cast members and even the piano player, but unlike a normal performance, knowing this was in fact a parody, no one seemed to give a damn. In fact, for many it might have been a highlight of the evening.

Here’s to a superb cast that had as much fun performing this long production as we had watching it. Cosmo Coniglio, Ryan Wagner, Stephanie Boyd, Chris Moreno, Ginny Weant, Kyra Young Hood, Allie Grace Ember, Nicholas Ian, Carly Nadeau ,Jacob Watson, Hannah Decker, Mason Sammarco, Maddi LeBlanc, Isabel Koleno, Liam Ryan, Trey Plutnicki , and Jackson West- GREAT WORK!

“Twihard” : A Twilight Musical Parody” will continue  through Aug 31, 2025 with performances as follows: