Love was in the air this past Saturday, Feb. 14, at the Patricelli ’92 Theater, and not just the romantic kind—a love for music was palpable from the moment the coordinators of the Spike Tape x SHADES Cabaret entered to introduce the event.
Accompanied by fellow coordinators Viv Orthwein ’27, Michael Scott ’28, and Leela Yohannes ’29, Hannah Sodickson ’26 provided moving remarks to commemorate her fifth and final semester coordinating the cabaret before the performers took to the stage.
Simon Sidney ’27, shrouded in darkness, gave a fiery rendition of “Mein Herr” from “Cabaret” to open the night. Viv Orthwein and Rachel Sapozhnina ’29 followed, giving a soulful performance of “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets,” whose serious facade, aided by accompaniment from Izzy Haick ’29, descended into levity when the singers revealed googly eyed finger puppets from their pockets.
Next came a dramatic tonal shift in the form of “Gethsemane (I Only Want to Say)” from “Jesus Christ Superstar,” sung by Elijah Philip ’28 with fitting conviction and fire, in a halo of bright light as if he himself were about to ascend to heaven.
Kayla Harrison ’26 and Adam Wilan ’26 lightened the mood with their hilariously physical performance of “The Song That Goes Like This” from “Spamalot,” parading around the stage with an air of pseudo seriousness.
Emma Somol ’27 followed, embodying Alanis Morissette’s angst perfectly in her take on the classic “You Oughta Know” from Jagged Little Pill. The wistful nature of “No One Else” from “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” sung beautifully by Flora White ’28, was refreshing directly after Somol’s ire.
Up next was Conrad Lewis ’26, whose powerful rendition of “Bring Him Home” from “Les Misérables” evoked a stripped-down concert with his stool and electric guitar. Eliza Lampert ’28 and Harry Resnik ’28 followed with the lustful duet “As Long as You’re Mine” from “Wicked,” which ended with a fitting “Happy Valentine’s Day” from Resnik.
Continuing that theme was Avi Kahtan ’28, who paced around the stage in an energetic performance of “Moments in the Woods” from “Into the Woods” as they brought the character’s romantic confusion to life.
Peyton Brill ’26 took the stage next, belting out the emotional “Not A Day Goes By” from “Merrily We Roll Along.” Fiora Jin ’27 followed with a performance of “A Million Dreams” from “The Greatest Showman” that balanced moments of sweet hopefulness with peaks of fiery conviction.
Brendan Kelso ’27 took the stage next for his playful yet reflective rendition of “Finishing the Hat” from “Sunday in the Park with George.”
Then, both wearing coordinating red and black, Samara Brown ’28 and Percy Liftin-Harris ’28 began their performance of “The Riddle” from “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” carefully circling each other, with Eli Villalobos-Sharone ’28 to join them in a grand entrance.
Matching the trio’s drama with the declarative “I Don’t Care Much” from “Cabaret” was Stuart Conrad ’26.
Sodickson returned to close the night with a heartfelt performance of “Pretty Funny” from “Dogfight,” approaching the audience as the song’s power grew, a final touching farewell to her time with the cabaret.
As the performers returned to the stage for their bows, Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten,” a 2000s anthem, blasted from the ’92’s speakers, a fittingly hopeful ending for what was for some a last cabaret.
Brendan Kelso is an Assistant News Editor for The Argus.
Conrad Lewis is an Arts & Culture Editor for The Argus.
Abby Slap can be reached at aslap@wesleyan.edu.
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