Review: Cabaret 2016

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Art credits to Vivian Yi!

Shameen Abubakar ‘17

Recently, the Ridge concert choir delivered another wonderful night of music for their 14th annual Cabaret. The night’s repertoire ran the gamut, including comical performances from the musical Something Rotten and tragic pieces from Les Miserables. On top of the great variety, the vocals, as usual, blew the audience away. In the audience, everyday shower-singers gaped with amazement as they took in the heart-stopping performances.

Within the comedic performances, viewers greatly enjoyed “You and Me (But Mostly Me)” from Book of Mormon, sung by Dan O’Sullivan ‘17 and Will Bordiuk ‘17. The song details the struggle of two business partners, Kevin and Arnold, who have contrasting incentives and personalities. Arnold sees Kevin as a new best friend, while Kevin sees Arnold as a stepping stone to much greater achievements. Together, Dan and Will delivered a hilarious rendition of the song with engaging expressions. In particular, Bordiuk’s constant aura of infatuation with his partner and O’Sullivan’s smug expression and tone enriched the already hilarious lyrics of the song. Overall, this performance definitely had people smiling ear to ear.

O’Sullivan ‘17 later gushed about how he “can’t thank everyone involved enough for making [Cabaret] happen because it’s been an experience [he] could never forget.”

As for more emotional performances, two soloists really stole the show: Alex Eisenstein ‘16 and Raveesh Koul ‘17. Eisenstein, accompanied by Spencer Krell ‘17 and Radhika Puppala ‘17, performed “Creep” from the movie Radiohead, while Koul performed “Empty Chairs and Empty Tables” from Les Miserables. Both sang incredibly passionate, piano-driven songs with a haunting stillness. Capturing the central theme of impenetrable loneliness in these pieces, the performers used simple stationary positions to captivate the room, allowing the audience to revel in each word and note of the song. While the audience may have been smiling or laughing in other performances, listeners were completely entranced by these numbers.

Aside from the solo performances, there were some fantastic group numbers scattered throughout the show. The choir performed “Circle of Life” from Lion King, “Jai Ho” from the movie Slumdog Millionaire, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins, “Dancing Queen” from Mamma Mia, “Bright Lights, Bigger City/Magic” from Pitch Perfect, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story, and “Officer Krupke” from West Wide Story.

“Jai Ho”, a particularly unique performance, was the favorite of many performers, including Marlo Smith ’17. Smith commented that “the exciting music and the constant movement in the formations made the song so exhilarating and fun to perform.”

All the girls in Concert Choir performed “Jai Ho,” a dazzling Indian dance number with color and sparkles. Many found the blend of cultures a wise and refreshing addition to the evening.

Not to be outshined, the boys of Concert Choir performed fantastically in “Bright Lights, Bigger City/Magic.” The audience raved as Nikhil Akenapalli ‘17 surprised everyone with his flawless rapping. The boys’ red vests glimmered in the light as Dan O’Sullivan and Will Bordiuk opened the number. Duncan Roberts ‘16 and Timmy Morrow ‘17 brought the a capella performance to life with their beatboxing. Even with so many working components, the boys danced and harmonized in perfect synchronization, finishing with a stunning pose for the cameras and astonishing the audience.

The night ended with Jessica Burchett ‘16 singing the classic song “Cabaret” from the musical, Cabaret. Her voice swelled in the auditorium as she glided across the stage. With the perfect mix of attitude and poise, Burchett fabulously finished the night. Her elegance and rich voice brought thundering applause.

Overall, the concert choir provided all with a fantastic night, channeling the warmth and love among the singers and imparting those feelings of camaraderie to the audience members. One could safely say that the music was awe-inspiring– and the company, extraordinary.