On Saturday, Oct. 4, the hot ticket on campus was the Spike Tape X SHADES Cabaret at the Patricelli ’92 Theater. Theatergoers squeezed into a line in front of the box office, hoping to get their names put onto a lengthy waitlist after tickets sold out early in the week. Anticipation was brewing for an evening of musical theater classics sung by a wide variety of University students from experienced seniors to first-years looking to make their mark on the school’s storied theater scene.
After coordinators Euniceca Marseille ’27, Viv Orthwein ’27, Elijah Philip ’28, and Hannah Sodickson ’26 gave a brief introduction, the lights dimmed.
Life is a Cabaret!
Osato Oronsaye ’29 emerged into the spotlight. Accompanied by Jonathan Lin ’29 (whom Oronsaye calls her “GOAT”), she opened the night with an energetic performance of “All That Jazz” from “Chicago.” Oronsaye claimed that she performed as “exposure therapy,” but her nerves were well hidden as she confidently commanded the room, holding up lyrics and prompting the audience to become her ensemble.
Next came Molly Volker ’26, who performed an emotional rendition of “Meadowlark” from “The Baker’s Wife” with accompaniment from Gavin Cui ’26. Samara Brown ’28 closed the Stephen Schwartz section of the night with the rousing “Lost in the Wilderness” from “Children of Eden,” accompanied by Jack St. Amand ’28. Teddy Tolbert ’28 followed with a sad, soulful take on “Maybe This Time,” fittingly, from “Cabaret.”
Harmony Hoogs ’27 and Celeste McKenzie ’26 took the stage next. The pair sang “Seventeen” from “Heathers,” a number met with cheers from the crowd when introduced. Their portrayal of the song’s lovers was played up for laughs, including a sloppy faux makeout session. Emma Somol ’27 proceeded to sing “My House” from “Matilda the Musical,” and as the song built up, her performance grew to match its power. She was followed by Isa Cino ’26 and Mae Wrigley ’26, whose voices smoothly blended together to sing the sweet “What Baking Can Do” from “Waitress.”
The vibes darkened as Peyton Brill ’26 sang the forlorn “See I’m Smiling” from “The Last Five Years,” bringing the song’s desperation to life. Gabi Schneider ’29 brought the mood up again with a fittingly sassy and powerful rendition of “Get Out and Stay Out” from “9 to 5: The Musical.” Brendan Kelso ’27, singing “The Games I Play” from “Falsettos,” brought impressive physicality to his performance. Next was Amy Ponce Garcia ’28, accompanied by Izzy Haick ’29, who infused “A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into” from “Be More Chill” with a playful energy. Katherine Ball ’27, Abigail Grauer ’27, and Lauren Schweitzer ’27 then brought a haunting presence to the stage with their powerhouse rendition of “Word to the Wise” from “Hadestown.”
Zoe Nagle ’27 followed, singing “Burn” from “Hamilton” with passion and fire (no pun intended). Next was Blythe Lavin ’29, Clio Moock ’29, and Alex Sheinkin ’29, who performed “Candy Store” from “Heathers,” clad in impressive color-coordinated outfits complete with giant scrunchies. Then came Chloé Naudet ’27, whose voice wonderfully conveyed the power and sadness of “Losing My Mind” from “Follies.” Cary Tran-Trong ’29 followed, singing the bubbly yet twisted “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” written by renowned singer Tom Lehrer. Next were Natalie Kim ’28 and Natalie Piergrossi ’28, who matched each other’s energies perfectly in their performances as lovers in “Take Me or Leave Me” from “Rent.” Quincy Segal ’26 followed with a conversational and hilarious take on “I’d Rather Be Sailing” from “A New Brain.” Kiran Schatz ’29 improvised his way through a technical issue, asking the enthusiastic crowd if they liked pizza before singing the darkly mysterious “Alive” from “Jekyll & Hyde.” For the final number, Kayla Harrison ’26 gave a gorgeous performance of the stirring “I’d Give My Life For You” from “Miss Saigon,” a wonderful close to the night.
Backstage at Cabaret
“Cabaret is unique in that we use it as a means of training new people in lighting and sound design,” co-coordinator Orthwein said.
One such newcomer was Lucas Holman ’29, who, after years of high school theater, was hoping to fill a “tech void” in lighting. The Cabaret’s lighting and sound departments had to be flexible, as light cues changed to evoke everything from the dark red hues of the underworld in “Hadestown” to the warm spotlight that circled Tolbert for “Maybe This Time.” Sound needs changed rapidly as performers came up alone, in pairs, threes, and with or without a backing track. Holman found the variation important to the learning process.
“Part of being a good lighting designer is learning to placate to a wide range of shows,” he said.
Overall, the night was a raging success. Besides being the “smoothest cabaret in [Orthwein’s] experience,” it gave performers, technicians, and the audience an hour and a half to bond over musical theater classics. The crowd erupted loudly and often for beloved songs and close friends, giving the night a truly special feeling.
Abby Slap can be reached at aslap@wesleyan.edu.
Leave a Reply