Off Broadway On Campus (OBOC) started off its show Saturday night by giving the audience the old “Razzle Dazzle” and continued on with lots of fun and entertainment, ending with a performance that was “Louder Than Words.”
The show, named “Pandemonium” after the song from “25th Annual Putnam Country Spelling Bee,” was a revue, featuring single songs from various musicals with casting from two members to nearly the entire OBOC group.
It was an emotional show for 14 graduating seniors and two Take Five Scholars, performing in their final OBOC show of their college careers. The seniors left the rest of the 59-member group with a sentimental goodbye, singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from the musical “Carousel,” telling the younger members, “walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone.”
Despite a few problems with the microphone, the overall performance left little to be desired. The cast members were lively and energetic with strong voices on the whole. The show evidenced the hard work put in by the cast members in the weeks of rehearsal leading up to the big day.
OBOC president and senior Shonali Gupta performed a cute and heartwarming number with help from freshman Alex Georgieff. Gupta sang the part of an awkward girl trying to figure out the unknown feelings of her crush in “Mix Tape” from “Avenue Q.” Besides the strength in acting and singing, the cuteness and awkwardness were greatly amplified by the overwhelming height difference between the two actors.
Humorous duets continued to be the strength of the first act, as seniors Tim Bayer and Jake Grantier performed “Agony” from “Into the Woods,” the tale of two princes in search for their perfect wife and the hardships they have to go through to get to their prospective brides – Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.
Seniors Cathy Brach and Rachel Thibo closed out the first act duets with convincing performances in the roles of Maureen and Joanne in “Take Me or Leave Me” from “RENT.” The audience members were on the edge of their seats, interested to see just how far Thibo and Brach would take their racy dance moves.
“Pandemonium” was another favorite. The medium-group number highlighted members of OBOC dressed in costumes ranging from Harry Potter to Superman, all competing in complete chaos to beat out their competitors in the local spelling bee.
In the second act, the ladies of OBOC wowed all who were watching with their sexy outfits and seductive singing of “My Strongest Suit” from “Aida,” telling the audience: “I would rather wear a barrel than conservative apparel, for my dress has always been my strongest suit.”
Once again, humor was what won the audience over, as the viewers chuckled while seniors Lydia Dewey and Sarah Lazer sang to fellow senior Julie Lamb, giving her advice on how to dress better and be “Popular” from the musical “Wicked.”
The night was filled with good music, much emotion and fun. The audience left with a good mood, multiple songs stuck in its head and excitement and anticipation for the next show to come.
Philbrick is a member of the class of 2009.
