With two Pick of the Fringe musicals, composer Stewart Yu and writer Angela Wong can probably add crowd pleasers to their CV, right? After a successful 2012 Fringe run and another remount in 2013 with their first musical, Riverview High, they’ve done it again–this time with a parody of an early aughts TV show that was a parody itself.

The O.C.: The Musical follows Ryan Atwood, a troubled yet ruggedly charming bad boy from the wrong side of town who is abandoned by his parents only to be adopted into the high-class, sophisticated world of Orange County by his attorney-turned-adopted father, Sandy Cohen. The transition to privileged life isn’t easy for Ryan, and soon after he develops a bromance with Sandy’s son, Seth, Ryan gets caught up in a series of love triangles, drama, musical ballads, feelings (oh, so many feelings), and inclusive Chrismukkah celebrations. Really, it’s a classic tale of teenage romance and privileged rich kids living in gated communities.

As a big fan of the TV show way back when, I was excited to hear what Yu and Wong would come up with, this time around. Yu sent me a cut of “The Summer of Summer” and I was hooked. Catchy and upbeat, The O.C.: The Musical is just that–a fun and witty parody that everyone, including people who haven’t seen the show before, can enjoy.

While working with Yu and Wong, I was able to talk to Wong about creating and producing a second musical, her experience with Fringe, and her growth as an artist.

Sad Mag: How is The O.C.: The Musical different from Riverview High?

Angela Wong:Although both shows dealt with teenage drama, angst, love, and romance with a comedic twist, they are also very different. Riverview High was our firstborn. It is a heartwarming story that celebrates friendship, diversity and acceptance. Like any firstborn, it made its way into the world through two first-time writers who tried their best, and wrote from a place of pure love for the creative venture.

The O.C.: The Musical, however, is the fun, flashy, and uninhibited second-born. It is all about magnifying the melodrama of the beloved television show, and parodying the already over-the-top storylines of The O.C. Through the campy songs and snappy quips, The O.C.: The Musical highlights the absurdity of teenage dramas, and shows how the storylines are usually anything but teenage reality.

SM: How have you changed as artists since 2012?

AW: When we first wrote Riverview High, it was the greatest creative adventure that either of us had ever embarked on. Although I had dabbled with creative writing and Stewart had music-directed a number of theatre productions prior to Riverview High, neither of us ever wrote a musical before. Our inexperience showed in some of our earlier drafts of Riverview High.

However, as we progressed, we became more confident in our writing, especially after we received some positive feedback from people who participated in our workshops. Despite the successful run of Riverview High in Vancouver Fringe 2012 and the remount in 2013, we knew that we still needed to grow as writers. Since our favourite parts from Riverview High were the comedic moments, we wanted our second project to be a comedy. When the idea of turning The O.C. into a parody came up, we thought that would be the perfect show for us to write as it allowed our imaginations to run completely wild.

The process of writing The O.C.: The Musical was different from Riverview High because we were definitely more confident in our writing abilities right from the beginning, and creatively, we were in sync. Also, since I was working in Toronto and Stewart lived in Vancouver, we had to manage our time effectively especially because our goal was to debut the show in 2015 as part of the Vancouver Fringe Festival. Overall, we have grown tremendously as artists since 2012. We became more confident in our writing. We became less self-conscious about the ideas we would throw out there, no matter how crazy or absurd they may have sounded. We also made sure that we embraced this project with the same delirious love that we had for writing, which was so prominent during the creation of Riverview High. We’ve enjoyed every step of the creative process – from the first time we sat down and developed the outline for the The O.C.: The Musical almost two years ago to the last performance of the show in Fringe.

SM: How has your Fringe experience changed from then? Was that your first Fringe experience?

AW: Fringe is such an incredible experience. It is not only a celebration of theatre, creativity and imagination, but it is a supportive community of artists. We were very fortunate that Riverview High was so well-received in the Vancouver Fringe Festival in 2012. The support we received from the community and fellow artists was life-changing. Despite our inexperience, we were embraced by our peers, and we knew that we wanted to return to the Fringe again with another show. Three years later, we’re back in our old stomping ground, the Firehall Arts Centre, and part of Fringe again. Once more, the Fringe community has shown us so much support and we are grateful to be part of this fantastic festival.

Didn’t get to see The O.C.: The Musical? Here’s your last chance, as the production is doing an encore on Thursday, September 24 at the Revue Theatre on Granville Island. For more ticket information, check out http://www.vancouverfringe.com.