It’s 2004. Shrek 2 is a blockbuster hit. “Toxic” by Britney Spears is ruling the airwaves. And teenage fangirl Shelby Hinkley has Spider-Man chained up in her South Dakota basement. That’s where our story begins in the hilariously unhinged production I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire, running at Majestic Repertory Theatre through April 20.
Samantha Hurley, a pop culture obsessed playwright from Maine, launched a sold-out run of the play at New York City’s intimate Cell Theatre in 2023, garnering praise for its comically dark plot and accurate portrayal of parasocial relationships. Those themes seem to align perfectly with what Majestic has been producing lately; after unauthorized musical parody takes on 1996 films Scream and The Craft, the theater has proven to know a thing or two about fandom.
I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire fully immerses us into Shelby’s world with a set resembling a Y2K-themed bedroom. Posters of Tobey in his various film eras—Pleasantville, Spider-Man, Seabiscuit—litter the walls. A copy of Kidnapping for Dummies and the latest issue of Cosmo Girl sit strewn on the floor for some light reading.
At the center of the obsession are fantastic leads Joey Derby (from Majestic’s Scream’d) in the highly coveted Tobey Maguire role and Maile Onsaga (Emma, Bridesmaids: An Unauthorized Musical Parody) as the deliriously devoted Shelby. Most of their time is spent in Shelby’s basement, where she holds the Hollywood star captive, reciting facts she’s memorized about him and lovingly doting on him as he screams for help.
Derby’s phenomenal range takes us through every stage of grief. At first, he’s sure he’s being punk’d (“Come on out, Ashton!”). Next, he’s threatening Shelby within an inch of her teenage life. Then he’s curling into the fetal position, pleading for his casting agents not to replace him with Jake Gyllenhaal.
Periodically, we get glimpses into Tobey’s psyche through hilariously random appearances from his raunchy inner self, played by Grace Lusk (OPM, Cabaret Royale). Lusk—who also co-stars as Brenda Dee Cankles, a corn-hole champion/real estate agent/unreliable clairvoyant—is a treasure to watch. She’s a master of facial expressions, trolling Derby with a mischievous charm you just have to see.
Onsaga matches the energy of her co-stars with truly crazed commitment. She’s a very physical actor as shown in her impromptu dance routine to Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” and the way she commands the stage in a wedding dress. Shelby’s desire to be loved and validated outweighs the ridiculousness of her situation. Bullied at school, rejected by her family and so very alone, her character speaks to the growing pains of adolescence.
I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is as crazed as it is heartfelt, and the finale will leave you gasping, either from laughter, shock or maybe both.
I’M GONNA MARRY YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE Thru April 20, days & times vary, $20-$40. Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory.com.
