It is strange to watch a show that get its kicks out of grilling the media. And then prepare an article based on that show. This year’s Waa-Mu Show, “This Just In…,” follows college graduates during their first year as reporters, photographers and broadcasters. Whereas the characters learn how to write news in the “real world,” the writers honed their sketch comedy skills in a class set up through the School of Communication. This first-time, student-organized seminar was taught by Dana Olsen, who wrote for “Laverne & Shirley” and the Tom Hanks film “The ‘Burbs.”
After auditions for the class were held, 10 students and the two writing chairpersons met twice a week for two hours. They would bring possible ideas for scenes to class and then “table,” or brainstorm, ways to improve the lines. The names of some of the show’s characters, such as Spaghettio Amerimedia, the CEO of the show’s media conglomerate, were created in these tabling sessions.
“We tried to push the envelope a lot,” says Weinberg senior Dave Weimer,who leads the writing team with Music senior Beth Kirkpatrick.
The show, which is usually presented in revue format, has a definite storyline for only the second time in Waa-Mu history.
This year’s show follows a set of characters including tabloid editor Evilynn Bitchman. The tabloid, known as the National Destroyer, features a father who births three-headed twins and breaks the news that Michael Jackson is indeed an alien.
In addition to Bitchman, there are the nervously vomiting interns: Samantha (“I’m here because I’m cute and know a lot about sports”), Guy Silverspoon (“My parents bred me for a career in either politics or media”), and Dan Rather, an average guy reminiscent of Michael Bolton in “Office Space.”
The show’s plot was developed by theater Prof. Dominic Missimi and the Waa-Mu executive board co-chairpersons.
“I think people come to this show to see the new talent,” says Missimi, adding that 170 people auditioned for this year’s production. “They want to see how slick these kids are. I’m very proud of their work, especially when you consider that we have 18, 19 and 20 year olds writing very sophisticated music.”
Communication senior and music chairperson Mike Mahler says he and his co-chairperson, Communication sophomore Alan Schmuckler, spent more than 10 hours a week on the show’s 25 songs.
“Being able to start fresh and build the music from the ground up makes this show really unique,” Schmuckler says.
Forty-two cast members, who each wear three or four costumes designed by Missimi’s wife Nancy, make the cast slightly larger than previous casts. The show’s choreographers include four students, a recent Northwestern graduate, theater Prof. Lara Teeter and professional choreographer Joey Gyondla.
The show has seven major set changes, and cast members were required to put in 10 building hours, says production manager Megan Felsburg. The show, which receives sponsorship from the Theatre and Interpretation Center, added video and slides this year.
“There are a number of things in this show that reflect today’s reality,” says Missimi, who has directed Waa-Mu for the past 10 years, “including spoofs of pop culture.”
For example, the interns sing about getting good jobs: “Someone tell me what I have to do / Someone tell me who I have to screw.” An electronic scroller issues the phrase “Former U.S. President seeks intern with strong oral skills.”
A scene in the anchorman’s home shows the family talking in news-speak to one another. The anchor predicts “A dinner of spaghetti with a 99 percent chance of meatballs.” His son goes berserk and screams, “This just in…the news is really, really dumb. Can I watch something real, like ‘The Real World’ or Anna Nicole Smith?”
“Four months ago, someone would say, ‘What about this?'” Weimer says. “And now the actors put so much more into it. They’re making it their own.”
Communication sophomore Chris Bruss took the sketch writing class and helped write the script. “My grandfather went here, and he called Waa-Mu the best event on campus,” Bruss says. “In the 40s, it was the premiere event, and we’re trying to bring that back.”
