Singing Along

By: Paige Kleinfelder '14

For students at EC there is always something to do on campus, from Encore events to SAB sponsored shows and sporting events. This past week was a music filled week for me. Actually, it was really only two events, but after returning from a relaxing midterm break, two events seem like a lot.

The first was A Chorus Line at the Clemens Center on Wednesday. For anyone who got to go, you already know about the show and, if you are like me, you have been singing the songs for the past week (in my case, quite loudly). That night was pretty interesting… a friend and I decided we would drive down to the show together after we met for dinner. What could be complicated about that, right?

An already tight timeline for getting to the show became insanely rushed but also funny: late to dinner, a long walk to the parking lot behind the soccer fields, and running up three flights of stairs for a wardrobe change all led up to the most complicated part of the night: the car ride.
A four-door car, of which only two doors opened properly, meant that I, as the passenger, had the lovely task of climbing over the driver’s seat to get in and out of the passenger’s seat. I was not allowed to sit in the back because, according to my friend, “that would be stupid looking.” But, I managed and in heels no less. Somehow, we arrived to the show on time.

For anyone who hasn’t been to the Clemens Center to see a show, you should, if only to get a change from the EC Theater with its stage that is eternally fighting a losing battle against the color purple! But really, for those of us who have to make Encore part of our lives, a Broadway show at the Clemens Center is a nice reprieve. A Chorus Line, though somewhat dated, is a show about 17 dancers auditioning to be in the chorus line of a musical. Each dancer sings about their past and tells the audience why they need this job. All that work just to be part of the chorus! The performance Wednesday was slightly disappointing though, as one of the most compelling characters, Paul, was played by an actor whose fake crying gained him little sympathy.

The second musical performance of the week was Friday in Mackenzie’s. John Rush, who calls himself the Human iPod, played songs that the crowd requested on little brightly colored post-it notes thrown onto the stage. I was excited because one of my favorite songs, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, was chosen. Sadly, I had to leave the show early because I had a rousing game of The Office Monopoly to attend to.