Act I

Teenage rock n roll rebel Robert Grisetti was dreaming of an epic, lazy summer vacation, but his fantasies of slacking in the sun are shattered as he discovers that his parents have signed him up to attend Camp Overton, the #3 weight loss camp in Southern Pennsylvania. His world rocked by awful news, Robert vows to pull it together and get kicked out of camp as soon as humanly possible (“Prelude”). Meanwhile, as the first bus arrives at the camp gates, overly peppy Head Counselors Mike and Sandy greet the campers and confiscate any and all contraband food items (“The Weight is Over”). Campers this summer include YouTube superstar Darnell Parnell, homeschooled uber-geek and kitchen crew work-study Anshel Ben Schlomo, sassy three-time returning camper Daphne LaDuca, reserved but determined Taylor Waldo, meathead junior counselor and camp weight loss MVP Brent, and his lisping, oddball Wiccan sister Britta. Mike and Sandy spell out the rules “The Rules” as they line up for their first weigh-in. However, as Robert’s name is called, he causes a scene by refusing to get on the scale and trying to incite a riot (“Can't Take Away My Summer”). Though his spiel is quite elaborate, Mike and Sandy are old pros— they've never kicked anyone out, ever (except for that one time and they’ll never ever talk about it!). Besides, this year the camp is up for inspection by the government and they need all the lost pounds they can get! Robert is sadly out of luck.

At lunch, Taylor and Daphne meet and immediately size each other up like true frenemies (“Taylor and Daphne”). Darnell and Anshel, majorly impressed by Robert's rule-defying ways, are delighted to be in the same bunk as the camp rebel. But Robert’s still looking for a way to blow this sugar-free popsicle stand. As Brent enters to announce Group Shareapy, Robert picks a fight with him, insulting all that he stands for (“Poster Boy”). Brent, unable to take criticism and embarrassed to be mocked by the campers, lets loose and punches him. Mike and Sandy break up the fight and demote Brent to Counselor in Training, where he will work for his sister Britta in the mailroom. He vows revenge on Robert, to whom Mike and Sandy reiterate that he’ll never, ever be kicked out because of this inspection.

Taylor approaches Robert to suggest that he take camp seriously. Some campers have worked very hard to get there, and he’s ruining their success. Intrigued by their chemistry, Robert attempts to flirt with her. His attempts are thwarted, however, and Taylor exits with Daphne. The boys tease him for getting rejected but he reveals that he already has a girlfriend— the super sexy All-State cheerleading captain, Ashley Penrod (“Ashley's Letter”). Anshel and Darnell are awestruck. Robert convinces them that they can be as cool as him and get girlfriends too, as long as they help him try to get kicked out. Anshel in particular begins to idolize Robert (“Anshel's Song”), causing him to spew out in a stream of consciousness that he has the keys to the kitchen for his work-study and access to all the confiscated candy. The plan is hatched: they’ll steal it and sell it to the campers, throwing Mike and Sandy’s weight loss numbers into chaos.

In the girl's bunk, Daphne explains to Taylor that while it might appear that they’re only at Overton for weight loss, they’re really there to make out with boys and have a good time (“Hungry For It”). She even gets Taylor, who has never had a boyfriend, to admit that Robert’s cute. Daphne promises to be her guru, changing the way she dresses and helping her attract him. Elsewhere, the boys now have all the candy and begin to hatch their plan (“Candymen”). As they spread the word about the underground candy ring, they become famous camp-wide. Anshel is now popular, Daphne expresses interest in Darnell, and Taylor is interested in Robert.

Brent enters the mailroom, furious, complaining to Britta that everyone loves Robert and hates him, despite his major weight transformation. Britta convinces him that she should be his henchwoman and dig up some dirt on Grisetti that will destroy him forever. He reluctantly agrees as she maniacally cackles. That night at the campfire, the kids play Truth or Dare. Daphne dares Robert to kiss Taylor, and for the first time the audience discovers that Robert’s bravado is only for show: he doesn’t have a girlfriend, and he’s never even kissed anyone (“First Kiss”). Sparks fly and the two are instantly connected. Taylor promises to help Robert lose weight, and they exercise together (“Training Montage”). Mike and Sandy are amazed at their weight loss, but no one else has lost any weight. How could this be? And with the inspection coming up so soon! They promise to get to the bottom of it. Meanwhile, when Brent checks in with Britta about her spying, she reveals that she’s found out about his Ashley Penrod lies in his journal, and she’s at the cheerleading camp down the road! As everyone celebrates at the camp dance (“Top of the World”), Brent and Britta enter to reveal Ashley Penrod and her cheer squad. Robert is stunned.

Act II

Five seconds later, Ashley and the cheer squad reveal Robert’s lie and his true identity as a loser (“Drama”): Robert went viral with a video called ‘Gigantic’ that shows him crashing the bleachers to the floor as he drummed in their high school band assembly. What’s more, Britta reveals Darnell’s stolen iPhone footage showing Robert and the boys talking negatively about Taylor’s body in comparison to Ashley. Taylor, crushed, runs away. And for the final nail in Grisetti’s coffin, Brent reveals the candy ring to Mike and Sandy. While they are shocked that the boys have caused such chaos, they still refuse to kick Robert out because he’s the only one who lost any weight. Instead, they lock the boys up on bathroom duty and tell them not to leave or they’ll be murdered by a serial killer in the woods (“Chain Gang”).

Darnell and Anshel are furious at Robert and suggest that he leave camp and never speak to them again. Robert promises to do just that and runs away toward the lake. Back at the girl's bunk, the cheerleaders are now staying with them, making for an uncomfortable atmosphere. Taylor is inconsolable that Robert lied to her, and she and Daphne have an argument about who's to blame (“Taylor and Daphne Reprise”). Ashley tells Taylor that she feels her pain, and if she wants, she can join them for a jog! Taylor, so far away from her original goals, vows to get back on track and use her anger at Robert to transform herself (“Thinner”). Meanwhile, Robert has escaped and is wandering through the woods (“Can’t Take Away My Summer Reprise”). He comes upon a scary, abandoned cabin and meets ‘Jimmy,’ the only kid they ever kicked out of camp. Although he looks suspiciously like Sandy dressed up as a mountain man, Jimmy tells Robert how great life can be when you fight change and hate on people who hold you responsible for your actions (“HaterAide”). He paints so bleak a picture of Robert’s future that Robert thanks Sandy/’Jimmy’ for the advice and heads back to camp to take responsibility and face his problems head on. Excited that their last-ditch effort plan worked, Sandy and Mike change their costumes and hurry back to camp to announce Color War! (“Color War”).

Robert approaches Brent and the cheerleaders to ask them to take down the ‘Gigantic’ video from YouTube. When they refuse, he challenges them to an epic Color War battle— fat team versus thin team. If he wins, they must remove it. If he loses, they’ll keep it up and get to make an even more embarrassing sequel. Pumped at the idea to ruin Robert’s reputation forever, Brent and Britta give Valium to Mike and Sandy, knocking them out while Robert tries to rally the dejected campers into one last shot at victory (“Gigantic”). The Color War— divided into Land Sports, Water Sports, and Talent— rages and the heated battle is neck and neck. Cheerleaders win Land Sports, and before the final Water Sports event, Darnell tries to chicken out. Daphne tells him that they’ll never be together if he ruins it. He rallies and wins (“Cannonball”).

As the campers run off to prepare for the talent show, Robert tries to apologize to Taylor. She tells him that he needs to go out there and prove that he isn't afraid of everyone (“I'm Right Here”). At the talent show, the cheerleaders do a step-routine version of their high school production of The Crucible. The campers then present the history of Anshel's ancestor, William Howard Taft, in a Hamilton-inspired number ("Taft"). Brent throws Britta's pet skunk, Dustin, onto the stage to ruin it and calls on them to forfeit. But Robert enters, refusing to bow down to Brent and his bullying. He will face his fear and play the drums on the bleachers, loud and proud, breaking them down (“One Shot”). The campers celebrate their defeat of Brent while Mike and Sandy enter from their drugged haze. Britta reveals everything that Brent has put her up to (“Britta's Revenge”). Mike and Sandy decide to finally kick someone out of camp for good: Brent. With the camp now in shambles and no recorded weight loss, they brace for the uncertain future of the camp. However at the last moment, camper Vanessa Williams reveals that her father is a billionaire and will buy the land back. The day is saved and they’ll all be back next year! (“Camp Sandy”). Before getting on the bus to go home, Robert approaches Taylor to apologize, but reveals all that she has helped him learn about himself. Though change is hard and uncertain, they’ve all come a long way and feel excited about the rest of their lives away after camp (“Feels Like Love”).