High school sucks. The people in high school suck. Now imagine having to go to your high school reunion, fresh after a pandemic, and see those people again. Add being drunk, high and angry after a pregame with people you considered your closest friends, and you have The Comeuppance, Fresno City College’s latest play on campus, performing March 14 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee at 2 p.m.
The Comeuppance is a play about a group of friends who pregame before going to their 20th high school reunion, but as they talk about the lives they’ve built, the walls come down thanks to the effects of drugs and alcohol and soon, they realize that maybe they weren’t as close as they once believed they were. Add the looming presence of death that takes over the body of a character in high stress or slow moments, it is an existential roller coaster that will leave your jaw on the floor and on the edge of your seat.
Written by Braden Jacob-Jenkins, the show takes place in a modern, post-covid setting with characters who are no stranger to trauma, personal and worldwide. Topics like 9/11, Columbine and COVID itself are brought up to help the audience both relate and understand the characters.
While the characters are millennials and I am Gen Z, I could see myself in these characters because their struggles and differences they never saw coming to light is something that I relate to. It is interesting to watch these characters experience such grounded and heart wrenching emotions that many of us have seen or experienced personally.
I have never seen a show quite as modern and as relatable as this one. The way the script goes from lighthearted banter to loud outbursts is painfully realistic to how life has become so tense after political outrage and COVID. It is uncomfortable to witness because the audience knows it is true. Friendships fall apart and relationships are put on display as the characters begin to realize who they really are.
I was blown away from start to finish; the set, the dialogue, the costumes all felt so grounded and simple yet incredibly effective. Summer Sesson-Plevney, the director, was able to have the actors really use the space given to them and also use the bond between characters and actors to have small and intimate moments.
Those moments really ground the show because the actors take time and pause to let the audience take in what is happening. The first act was shorter than the second, which surprised me, but it was because act 2 was jam-packed with emotion and new characters that provided internal and external conflict.
(Left) Caitlin (Wristen) and Paco (Pierson) sit alone on Ursula’s porch, talking and reminiscing on their high school days and about their relationship. A past full of happiness and heartbreak. March 6, 2026.
Paco especially, played by Wade Pierson, is an outsider among the outsiders and his acting was impeccable to match the intensity of a man who went through war and has to deal with the weight of that. Pierson plays Paco with humor yet is grounded because he understands he doesn’t belong but makes the most of his circumstances with grace and laughter. Pierson handles Paco’s story with care and respect that you can see on stage and it’s beautiful.
Emilio, played by Claudio Laso, is the given lead of this show but everyone gets a chance to shine. Laso is able to portray a man who is stuck in the past while refusing the present with an authenticity that makes you root for Emilio but also pray for his downfall. The intensity Laso brings to the show is outrageous and really heightens the mood in a way that leaves you wanting more.
Laso takes an inch and turns it into a mile in the best way possible.
Ursula, played by Soular, is the token wise character, one who has gone through so much but handles it with a grace that Soular beams on stage with positivity yet a sadness you can’t ignore. Soular really makes Ursula their own, portraying grief, acceptance, pain, and hope. You root for Ursula until the end when you get punched in the gut. Soular is a wonder on stage that you have to see to believe.
Caitlin, played by Madeline Wristen, is the token pretty and popular girl who has an aura of darkness and regret that hides away until she is so overwhelmed that she explodes. Caitlin is a character who doesn’t understand herself and Wristen takes that vulnerability with heart and soul that you feel for Caitlin because we can all relate. Wristen has an energy on stage where she really makes the space her own and can really suck you in when you listen to her monologues and witness her guilt take over when Caitlin isn’t her authentic self.
Bri Villenueva-Hardcastle plays Kristina, a character that appears to be put together but really is very broken. Racked with sorrow and guilt, Kristina realizes that she never truly got to be herself and explore her emotions. An emotional, drunk, and heart wrenching monologue really ties Kristina’s character as she cries out her love for another woman. Villenueva-Hardcastle commands the stage with her presence and keeps you engaged as you listen to her heartbreak about not being her true self, something many people can relate to.
It is moments like this that make you lean back in your seat and sigh. A truly, electrifying performance.
(Left to right) Emilio (Laso), Paco (Pierson), Ursula (Soular) and Caitlin (Wristen) watch in silence and sadness as Kristina (Villenueva-Hardcastle) monologue on about her love for another woman and how she never got to experience life and be her true self. The regret is seen and felt as she cries and begs to be given a chance to love this woman yet can’t because she has built a family.
This script thrives on relatability and the real experiences that these characters are going through and understanding about themselves. Whether it’s about PTSD, chronic illness, teen pregnancy and even the use of drugs and alcohol; it feels like you are witnessing real people go through anger, heartbreak and joy.
(Left) Emilio (Laso) and Simon, a friend who cancelled on the group played by Sean Torres (right), talk after Emilio is left alone on Ursula’s porch after insulting the others who left for the reunion. March 6, 2026.
With the show coming to a close tomorrow, it makes you realize that our time on Earth is dwindling. The Comeuppance does a magnificent job at portraying the existential dread of adulthood and how everything is temporary but the impact you make on others is permanent. So make sure it’s a good one.
(Left to right) Torres, Villenueva-Hardcastle, Laso, Soular, Wristen and Pierson take their bow after their opening night performance of The Comeuppance at FCC on March 6, 2026.