It’s not often that a local theater, especially one as acclaimed as Laguna Playhouse, presents the world premiere of a musical, but that is exactly what the playhouse is doing when “Wild Child” launches the Laguna Playhouse’s 2026-2027 season on September 12.
According to information from Laguna Playhouse, “Wild Child” is a contemporary, pop-driven musical about connection, belonging, and the transformative power of the natural world. Set against the backdrop of a wilderness therapy program in Northern Utah, “Wild Child” tells the story of an unlikely friendship that develops between two troubled teens, Rina and Darin, who are forced out of their digital-age comfort zones and into the great outdoors. Side-splitting, heartbreaking and ultimately life-affirming, this new musical invites audiences to “Stay Wild!”
Wild Child has book and lyrics by Dan Marshall and music by Julianne Wick Davis, an award-winning composer and a Jonathan Larson Award recipient (creator of “RENT”).
Laguna Playhouse’s Managing Director Adele Adkins said, “At Laguna Playhouse, producing new work is central to our mission. ‘Wild Child’ is exactly the kind of bold, original work we are proud to champion. It explores themes that are deeply relevant to the world we live in today while telling a profoundly human story that transcends generations. It is a beautiful, emotionally moving work that invites audiences to reflect, connect, and leave the theater feeling inspired and uplifted. We believe ‘Wild Child’ will resonate with audiences of all ages and remind us of the hope, resilience and humanity we all share.”
Actor Brian Whithill, who grew up in Newport Beach, attended Corona del Mar High School, and earned his BFA in Musical Theatre from Cal State Fullerton, is excited to be part of the cast of “Wild Child.”
According to Whithill, the rehearsal process for “Wild Child” has been full of surprises, because the creative team, including the composers, has been at the theater working on the play alongside the actors.
“It’s a world premiere musical, and it’s been in development for a while now,” said Whithill. “The only other production they’ve done of it was a developmental production at a college. Now it’s officially going to be on the stage for the very first time. We’re all very excited about it. Things are changing [in rehearsal] every day. Normally, when you’re putting up a play or a musical, the script is written, the music is written, and nothing really can change other than maybe the direction of it. But this is one where we’re making changes every day. We’re adding lines here and there. We’re adding songs. We’re subtracting certain things, condensing certain things. So it’s been a really interesting and collaborative process.”
Whithill admitted there is a layer of what he called “productive stress” during the rehearsal process, which is different from the tour of “Mama Mia” that he was in.
“That is a tried-and-true show—it’s hard to screw that up. Nothing changes with that show. Having the creative team here with us is a brand-new experience. It’s all part of the behind-the-scenes process. Most people don’t know all the work that goes into it. So it’s productive stress and positive growth.”
Whithill said “Wild Child” is a coming-of-age musical about teenagers searching for their place in the world. They have been sent to a wilderness camp that’s wire-free, no digital devices allowed.
“It’s their search for meaning outside of the world that they’ve grown up in,” said Whithill. It’s nice to be part of a project that recognizes the world teenagers are growing up in, and that many of their struggles might not be on the surface. There is a lot in this play that everyone can relate to. There are a lot of internal struggles with young people, but now more so than ever, people can be really isolated with the internet and social media. It tackles some mental health topics as well as the need for community.”
Aside from “Wild Child,” Whithill has been involved with many other artistic projects, but perhaps his most memorable one was nearly passing out while filming a scene with Ryan Gosling in the movie “Barbie.”
“I booked a scene where I was a guy on a date with a woman, and playing into the world of what they were building with ‘Barbie,’ and Ken was observing me on a date,” explained Whithill. “She says, ‘I can pay for this,’ and I was like, ‘No, come on, I got this.’ I was steamrolling over what she was saying. And Ryan Gosling as Ken comes up to the table, and he’s just watching us interact, and then my character assumes that he is a waiter, so I give him my credit card, and there was this whole exchange between Ryan Gosling and me. That was my first time on a major film set. And Ryan Gosling is standing right next to me, Greta Gerwig is directing it. She’s behind the camera. I had a moment when my brain got fuzzy, and I was thinking I cannot believe this is real life right now. But I do need to lock in because I was hired as an actor for this moment, and I cannot pass out.”
But because Gerwig does so much improv work in her films and they shoot extra scenes, most of those scenes got cut, said Whithill. “So my shining moment with Ryan Gosling lives on in my memory,” laughed Whithill.
And “Wild Child” will live on in the memories of audiences who come to Laguna Playhouse during the show’s run.
For tickets, visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.
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