As the night came to a close, men in tuxedos and women in shiny white dresses invited the audience to join their celebration. A sparkling diamond-shaped mirror with “Waa-Mu Show 75” written on it was lowered from above the stage.
Waa-Mu Show celebrated its 75th birthday with “JUBILEE!,” which had its first sold-out performance on Friday night in Cahn Auditorium.
Instead of a typical plot, “JUBILEE!” consists of a series of sketches and song and dance numbers with a common theme of celebration.
Unlike past years, the Waa-Mu Show did not include solely original material. It also incorporated music and sketches from previous shows. Liz Kimball, one of the show’s three co-chairs, said they made an effort to honor Waa-Mu traditions.
“In the past, the shows – although they built on the Waa-Mu tradition – were their own creation,” the Communication senior said. “This year, our top priority was to pay homage to the 75 years.”
Kimball said she wanted the students in the production to feel like they were a part of Waa-Mu history.
“As a student leader, my goal was to get every single cast member to feel part of tradition,” she said.
The show included a variety of sketches, ranging in tone from humorous to bittersweet.
One sketch, called “Seven Minutes in Heaven,” depicted a boy playing the game on his thirteenth birthday. The skit was originally created for the 1995 show, “Rites of Spring,” and highlighted the awkwardness of the adolescent make-out game.
“I don’t even know if we’re holding hands,” sang Kevin, played by Communication sophomore Andrew Keltz. “It’s too dark to tell.”
One of the show’s new songs, “Sweet, Sweet, Sweet Sixteenth,” written by Music senior Joel Esher and choreographed by Communication senior Rachel Frankenthal, parodied the reality TV show “My Super Sweet 16” and TV personality Carson Daly.
The show also included more serious sketches, such as a 2004 song and dance number named “And the Moon,” about a lovers’ parting.
Many Waa-Mu alumni sent video clips wishing the show a happy 75th “birthday, ” including Zach Braff, star of the TV show “Scrubs” and director of the 2004 movie “Garden State.”
Kimball said she was pleased with the turnout, noting that the show nearly sold out on Saturday night also.
“On opening night, the energy was simply astounding,” she said. “I want to get as many people to come see it because it’s an important show for both Northwestern and Evanston.”
At the end of the night, the cast sang “To the Memories,” a song from the 1951 show, “That Reminds Me.” This was the 55th year the song was performed during the Waa-Mu Show. Communication senior Antonette Balestreri, another co-chair of the show, said they invited past co-chairs to the stage to sing the song with them Friday night.
“I was standing next to a co-chair from 1947, and he knew all of the hand movements and words,” she said. “I felt like a part of history and traditions. I was crying the whole time.”
Waa-Mu began as a joint effort between the Women’s Athletic Association and Men’s Union in the 1928-29 school year. It has gained national acclaim and featured now-famous students such as Warren Beatty, Megan Mullally and Ann-Margaret.
SESP sophomore Jen Ochsner said the show was clever and entertaining.
“I really liked the 13-year-old ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ skit,” she said. “It was very funny and true to life.”
Toni Boyle, Communication ’62, attended the show because she had been invited by a friend. She said she hadn’t been back to Evanston in a long time.
“The retrospective – the old sketches – appealed to me,” she said. “There were problems with audio at the beginning, but the old songs came through and stood the test of time.”
There will be more performances of the show Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Ticket prices vary.
Reach Ketul Patel at [email protected].
Click here to see The Daily’s blog, podcasts and a slideshow presentation about Waa-Mu 2006.
