Drama (graphic novel)

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Drama is a 2012 graphic novel by Raina Telgemier.

It's another semester, and time for a school play. Callie is on the tech crew, loving the selected musical Moon Over Missisipi. She asks if she can build a cannon for it, in addition to working on sets. The tech crew is a nice distraction from the fact that her crush Greg is ghosting her, and Greg's brother Matt has become a jerk towards Callie.

Then Callie meets the identical twins Jesse and Justin. Justin wants to audition for the play, while Jesse is too shy and opts to join tech crew with Callie. It seems that Jesse forms a bond with Callie, as new leading lady Bonnie starts an affair with her costar West and berates Jesse since he's tutoring her in math. Can Callie survive the drama, and get that cannon working in time for opening night?

Tropes used in Drama (graphic novel) include:

• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • Bonnie is rude to Matt when asking where his brother is. Callie cuts in to say they just saw Greg, but Bonnie says she was talking to Matt, revealing Greg is not talking to Bonnie. Then Callie snidely asks if Bonnie wants her to pass on a message. Bonnie walks off, and Matt smirks. When Callie apologizes for cutting in, Matt says he doesn't mind missing a conversation with Bonnie.
  • Jesse is too shy to audition. He asks why Callie doesn't do it. She promptly marches on stage and belts horribly. The casting director cuts her off early, but the whole auditorium bursts out laughing. Jesse can't hide his giggles.
• Alpha Bitch:
  • Greg is the Jerk Jock version of this. He's more popular than his brother Matt, bullies him, and belittles Callie as well as her interests. Callie doesn't even know why she crushes on him.
  • Bonnie is a straight example. She's got a Girl Posse, is rude to anyone who isn't Greg, and is a full Drama Queen.
• Bittersweet Ending: In the end, Callie gets neither guy. Jesse turns out to be interested in West, and she turns out Greg's attempts to hook up with her after Bonnie dumps him at the dance. She takes it well after Jesse apologizes for leading her on, and helps her make up with Liz. The play, itself, goes on without a hitch, and Loren is so impressed by how dedicated Callie was that he nominates her to take his place as stage manager next year. It's a unanimous vote and Callie says that she has lots of ideas for next year.
• Could Have Avoided This Plot: Callie has spent most of the book sending signals at Jesse, which he responds to and parries at the same time. When she learns that he's gay and has feelings for West, it's after he ditched her at the dance for several hours to talk to West. Callie yells at Jesse, among other things, that she would have accepted if he had been upfront with her about not being interested in her or being incompatible. What hurts is that he essentially led her on and lied about it. Jesse apologizes the next day, acknowledging that Callie was right to be mad at him.
• Giftedly Bad: Callie loves musicals, but she's a terrible singer. As Jesse finds out at the auditions, when she tries out to make him laugh and coax him out of his stage fright. Flashbacks show her practicing her vocals at home, much to her family's horror.
• Homage: Moonlight Over Missisipi is said to be a homage to Gone with the Wind. Liz and Callie watch the movie together so Liz can get ideas for costume design.
• Incompatible Orientation: This is why Jesse is not interested in Callie. Much like his brother, he is gay. He tried, but realized that he wasn't attracted to her.
• Performance Anxiety: This is why Jesse doesn't want to perform in the school play. He says that he's too shy to go onstage and would rather let his twin brother shine. He ends up saving the show by wearing the Act Two Maybelle dress and going onstage to take Bonnie's place. When the crowd gives a standing ovation, he looks like he's about to cry Tears of Joy.
• Reality Ensues: Most works of media have it as a protagonist's shining achievement when they step in to take the place of someone during a play. Not-so-much here; Bonnie locks herself in the closet after Act One on the last night of the play to cry after West breaks up with her. While Jesse saves the show and gets a standing ovation from the crowd, the entire crew, teachers included, yell at Bonnie for her selfishness in refusing to perform for Act Two at the wrap party.
• Toe-Tapping Melody: The song that Maybelle sings with the leading role in Moon Over Mississippi is supposed to invoke this. It's the moment where she and the Union general have their first kiss, building up the dramatic tension. Callie is always entranced when Jesse sings it, partly because she has a crush on him. When Bonnie bails on playing Maybelle on the play's last night after West breaks up with her, Jesse puts on the dress and replaces her. When he sings Maybelle's part, the audience and stage crew are equally entranced. He gets a standing ovation at the curtain call.
• Throw the Dog a Bone: After expressing that he is too shy to go onstage especially when Justin is the one who wants to be the star, Jesse gets a standing ovation when he replaces Bonnie in Act Two and saves the show. He cries Tears of Joy and signs autographs after.