Buffalo Theatre: Wimpy Kid, the Musical is a hilarious flashback to middle school survival for adults, a delightful addition to the series for young fans

By Nathan Andrew Miller

(Above: The cast of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Musical at TOY. All photos by Christy Francis)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been taking us back to middle school for over a decade now.

The franchise first burst onto the scene as online installments in 2004 and was finally printed in 2007. By April 2009, author Jeff Kinney was named on the Time 100, a list of the magazine’s perceived most influential people. Three live-action films and four animated films have been made, and in 2016 the story was turned into a musical, later restaged in 2022. The musical, now in performance at Theatre of Youth Company Inc., better known as TOY, brings that Wimpy Kid middle school energy to the stage.

TOY has, for years, been the “only game in town” when it comes to children’s theater in Buffalo. Now, under the guidance of Executive Director Tracy Snyder, they’ve begun to regain an audience post-COVID. Although school-time performances are their bread and butter, TOY also has public performances. I, along with my guest-reviewer/son Liam, attended such a performance on February 28.

Co-directors Arianna Lasting and Charles McGregor — with the help of set designer Jessica Speice — thrust us into the world of the beloved Kinney books with a delightful, versatile design. We’re introduced to main character Greg Heffley, played with youthful exuberance by Tiffany Nowak, who feels “stuck in the middle.” He’s starting middle school, which he views as a fresh start; but of course, as we all know, middle school brings bullies, social pressure, and a never-ending quest for popularity.

The ensemble cast is to be commended, as the comedy and larger-than-life characters all bring humanity, while making the most of the laughs. The musical’s strength lies in its songs, well rendered by the live band led by Stephen Schapero. I was particularly enamored with the pop number “Animal Heart,” sung by the character Joshie (Aaron Gabriel Saldana) and his backup singers/dancers. I’ve known Saldana for years, and had to double-check to make sure it was him! He must have been channeling his frontman energy. (Check out his Buffalo-based band, Tri State Area!)

And now, for the opinion that really matters, here are the thoughts of my guest reviewer:

Liam, age 7 and a huge fan of the series, was thrilled to come with me. He enjoyed the set model on the counter in the lobby and comparing it to the completed product onstage. He thought the scene design was “awesome” and loved how quickly and efficiently the set changes were executed. Rodrick was his favorite character, though this may have been influenced by his favorite book in the series. He agreed that the songs were good, and his favorite was the opening number, which introduces the characters and main conflict. His only complaint was that the tight 60-minute performance was “too short!”

Ultimately, this musical captures the energy of the series very well — the book is clever, and the music is fun and sticks in your head. I will say, to no fault of the production, that live bands in the cavernous Allendale Theatre sometimes cause the sound quality to become a little muddy when mixed with amplified performers. It’s unfortunate because it usually means trouble hearing dialogue over underscoring. More than a few times, I felt I had missed a line or two due to this problem.

That being said, the audience, my son, and I enjoyed ourselves greatly! Check out this show — and make sure to see if you can attend the understudy performance, too, to support the actors who have devoted their energy to learning this show.