By Kelly Corbett
Staff Writer
For those who have a stash of Playbills in their rooms, hum show tunes in the shower or just have a passion for musical theater, the College hosted its annual Broadway Night on Friday, Sept. 26, and Saturday, Sept. 27, presenting students with an opportunity to perform numbers from some of their favorite Broadway shows. Sponsored by TCNJ’s Musical Theatre, the Library Auditorium was transformed into a theater as some of the College’s most talented took to the stage.
The night kicked off with a performance of “Party Hat” by junior Steve Munoz and senior Morgan Teller. They treated the audience to a comedic cat chase as Teller played a fanatic cat lady trying to crown Munoz with a birthday party hat.
In “The Ballad of Sara Berry,” audience members were reminded of high school as sophomores Samantha Miller, Gretchen Heller, Kathleen Fox and Emily Albright performed this number from “35mm.” The ballad focused on voting Sara Berry for prom queen, the most popular girl in school.
Juniors Ken Abes and Rachel Fikslin took to the stage to battle out who was crazier in the song “I’m Crazier Than You” from “The Addams Family.” The two feuded both vocally and choreographically in an attempt to find out who was more impulsive and spontaneous.
The performances continued with freshman Emma Streckenbein performing “Too Pretty” from R.R.R.E.D the Secret Musical, a comical number in which she is fed up with being ”too pretty” for her working-girl lifestyle of serving, delivering and cleaning the floor.
In light of the recent death of actor Robin Williams, seniors Kayla DiSibio, Christine Rybicki and Matt Iannacone combined forces with Munoz and seniors Adam Zierig and Dana Joy Carducci to enchant the audience with “Friend like Me” from everyone’s favorite classic, “Aladdin.” Reminding each other that “you ain’t never had a friend like me,” the group treated the audience to a circus act of juggling and a magician act of pulling a scarf out of a hat while asking, “Can your friend do this?”
Senior Mariah-Lynn Black performed “I Can Do Better Than That” from “The Last Five Years” — a powerful number dedicated to wanting the absolute best for yourself.
The night concluded with a group finale, as all the performers gathered on stage for one final song. They sang “Brotherhood of Man” from “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
In remarks to the show, sophomore sociology major Matthew Hardy “(admired) how talented all the performers were,” wishing he could be up there on stage with them one year.
For those who missed Broadway night, TMT’s production of “Rent” will be coming to the Black Box Theater this November.
