You Wish!
A Magical New Musical
Andy is having the worst day ever. He’s a gay, black, geeky 17-year-old with a dead mother and an absentminded dad. He’s anxious about the future post-graduation, his dream of becoming a famous Youtuber is not panning out, and today is the anniversary of his mother’s death. Things start to look up when the world’s biggest pop star, Christian Kane, announces a contest: one Youtuber will win the chance to be Christian’s personal vlogger for his upcoming tour. Andy seizes on this glimmer of hope with the idea to submit a documentary of the upcoming senior party, “Raunch.” But the day goes even farther downhill, culminating in his camera breaking so he can’t film his submission—and then the cherry on top: the humiliating revelation that his dad is dating his teacher. In despair, Andy makes his first birthday wish in seven years.
The next morning, Andy wakes up in the lily-white body of Christian Kane, and everything in his world is inside-out. Once a nobody, he’s now the most popular kid in school, he's hosting Raunch, and his crush is all over him. As he navigates his new body and this mysterious “Wish World,” he begins to lean into his new privilege in increasingly selfish ways. But along the way he uncovers secrets about his friends, his family—and his crush, that make him start to rethink his attitude. The clock is ticking, for just like Cinderella at the ball, everything must come to a head at Raunch, and Andy must return to reality.
Once back, he decides to use everything he's learned to help his friends and family deal with their respective issues. As he does, he starts to realize that to be happy he needs to be vulnerable and accept both himself and others. So with the contest deadline looming and a little encouragement from his mother's spirit (you KNOW she was gonna show up!), he films his submission—not his usual content, but personal, not showered or combed, opening up about his struggles with mental health and grief. Although he doesn't win the contest, Christian is so moved that he invites Andy and his friends as VIPs to his concert in New York City, where they dance the night away to his new single, ""Crystal Clear,"" summing up the show: everyone needs to be seen. And when you see others, you’ll find yourself—you just have to open your eyes!
YOU WISH is to Disney Channel movies as Avenue Q is to Sesame Street—a magical, absurd and extremely R-rated love letter to the teen comedies of our youth that also rights the wrong of how formulaic, heteronormative, and all-around white they were. It grapples with everything those movies too often glossed over: grief, racial and sexual discrimination, mental health, and growing up with the dark side of social media. It’s a It’s a fantasy for a new generation