One by one and two by two, performers took to the spotlight in Spike Tape’s Spring 2024 Cabaret on Friday, Feb. 16 in the Patricelli ’92 Theater. As an amateur theater-goer, I had heard almost none of the pieces before. I’m sure for die-hard musical theater fans, it’s fun to follow along with old favorites, but I also loved getting the chance to appreciate each one for the first time in the energy of a live show, as interpreted by people in our community who loved that song enough to choose, rehearse, and perform it.

The minimalist black-box space was ideal, as the music easily turned it into a diner, the underworld, a loan office in a bank, and so much more. But I’m getting ahead of myself; fittingly, the first thing it became was a cabaret, as River Isleib ’27 opened the show with “Cabaret” from the musical “Cabaret.” Staggering across the floor, they bitterly insisted that “life is a cabaret, old chum,” reminding us of everything that music allows us to both grapple with and escape from. This reference was a perfect frame for the show: In the penultimate number, Claire Edwards ’24 returned us to the “Cabaret” musical with the bittersweet ballad “Maybe This Time.”

With dazzling showmanship, other performers filled out the classic theater portion of the night. Miles Allen ’24 sang from the heart for “What I Did for Love” from “A Chorus Line,” accompanied with panache by Lucas Donat ’26 on the piano. Later, Luz Rivera ’24 drew in the audience with a flair in “All That Jazz” from “Chicago.” Dressed to a tee, Yumiko Takahashi ’25 embodied a mischievous innkeeper for “Master of the House” from “Les Misérables,” with the audience chiming in during the chorus. Following that, Elphaba (Hannah Sodickson ’26) and her love interest Fiyero (Stuart Conrad ’26) cracked up the crowd with over-the-top deliveries in “As Long as You’re Mine” from “Wicked.”

Three of the singers brought in more modern classics with songs by strong, complex female characters. Peyton Brill ’26 sang a beautifully wistful rendition of “Flowers” from “Hadestown.” On a lighter note, Kayla Harrison ’26 embodied a young girl, unsure yet fluttery about the possibility of love, in a soaring performance of “When He Sees Me” from “Waitress.” And, decked out in an Elle Woods-esque outfit, perfect for the halls of Harvard, Kay Perkins ’24 sang an energetic ode to getting internships and dissing those who break up with people for being too blonde: “So Much Better,” from “Legally Blonde.”

Ting Tsai ’27 sang and played piano for an original song titled “oh train, where are you taking me now?” which I could picture as a moment of reckoning for a protagonist. Her sliding notes and swinging pace built a hazy mood.

Kiera Moran ’24 performed “I Believe” from “The Book of Mormon” with a frenzied and funny intensity that echoed Isleib’s, not breaking character from the moment she introduced herself as a Mormon missionary. She concluded this hysterical ballad with stunning vocal flourishes that drew early applause from the crowd. In a second musical satire of Christian creeds, Sam Hilton ’25 and Quincy Segal ’26 sang “All for the Best” from “Godspell.” It featured an egg shaker as well as piano accompaniment from Gavin Cui ’26, which accelerated to a formidable pace by the end of the number. The duo sported matching T-shirts, which Segal revealed by flinging off a sweater just before starting to sing. Although this was quite dramatic, it was only the second-biggest plot twist of the evening (sorry Sam).

The biggest plot twist came during a crowd-pleasing rendition of “Gotta Go My Own Way” from “High School Musical 2” by Fana Schoen ’24. After Schoen’s first two verses, where she plaintively explained her plans for college, her co-star appeared in the crowd. Sara Bateman ’24, who wasn’t even mentioned in the program, arose from the second row and took the floor as a compellingly dismayed Troy Bolton.

This piece foreshadowed the great success of other high school-themed numbers. Danielle Nodelman ’24 and Sabrina Ladiwala ’24 channeled Ariel and her powerful friends from “Footloose” in an energetic rendition of “Holding Out for a Hero.” And in an homage to the darker side of growing up, Abigail Grauer ’27, Lauren Schweitzer ’27, and Katherine Ball ’27 sang “Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)” from “Spring Awakening.” Following their Fall 2023 performance of “Nothing Ever Changes” from “Hadestown,” this was the group’s second time singing a spellbinding, three-part a cappella piece that reminded the audience how extraordinary harmony can be. 

Representing the teenage experience of summer vacation, Danielle Garten ’24 and Jesse Herrnson ’24, who also played the ukulele, sang an engaging, heartwarming, very meta number about being trapped in a musical: “I Can’t Stop Singing,” from “Teen Beach Movie.” Other duos playing couples onstage included Liv Snow ’25 and Grauer, who sang a playful “First Date/Last Night” from “Dogfight” that involved some sweet prop work with a jacket, and Charlotte George ’24 and Drew Weddig ’24, whose exquisite rendition of “We Do Not Belong Together” from “Sunday in the Park With George” left audience members reflecting on belonging and togetherness.

Edwards was not the first member of the class of 2024 to perform a ballad. Sarah Linsly ’24 sang “Being Good Isn’t Good Enough” from “Hallelujah, Baby!” maintaining her streak of Barbra Streisand performances from last semester. Immediately afterward, Sophia Masotti ’24 performed “Another Life” from “The Bridges of Madison County,” evoking a heartbreaking picture of a quiet kitchen and a woman deciding to leave it for the last time. Steph Monard ’24 continued to grapple with big geographic changes in “I Miss the Mountains” from “Next to Normal.” I missed the mountains by the end of the song, and I’ve never even visited a mountain. 

Breaking the spell of senior-driven balladry, Nat Wheeler ’25 delivered a captivating performance of “Say It to Me Now” from “Once” while playing the guitar; a bank manager would certainly have approved their loan. And finally, Celeste McKenzie ’27 closed out the show with a heartfelt rendition of “I’m Here” from “The Color Purple,” a moving piece about self-discovery that left the audience inspired.

Throughout the night, Luka Netzel ’24 and Kyra Kushner ’24 expertly adjusted the microphone stands, often drawing applause. They and their co-coordinators, Parker Tey ’26 and Sodickson, should be proud. I may be picking up on the sentimental-senior trend, but I will always look back on these cabaret shows with a little bit of wonder. From what I know, people have gathered to pass down their favorite songs and stories—some that are new to listeners and some that seem as old as time—for pretty much all of human history. Upholding that type of tradition is serious business, and I’m grateful that my classmates, neighbors, and friends are doing it here.

 

Sam Hilton is an Editor-in-Chief for The Argus.

Sabrina Ladiwala is an Executive Editor for The Argus.

Danielle Garten contributed reporting.

Anne Kiely can be reached at afkiely@wesleyan.edu.