Clearly, no show that starts with a golf cart, fog, and bright light can be a disappointment. Saturday night’s exhibition of vocal talent from all around upstate New York was no exception.
A Capella Palooza!, presented by the RPI Players, featured groups from SUNY Binghamton, Cornell, Skidmore, and RPI, intermixed with a bit of comedy courtesy of the Players. During the first half, the announcers were completely shocked by the lack of musical instruments in the first performance, promising “40 guitars and 50 drums” in the second group. After this failed to materialize, one of the announcers had a revelation a la “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and declared that instruments weren’t necessary to exhibit musical talent. And yes, for those of you who were keenly wondering, the golf cart did make a final appearance near the end of the show.
The first group up was the Skidmore Dynamics, and they did an excellent job of breaking the ice. After opening with a full ensemble arrangement of “I Want You Back,” the Dynamics featured a vocally talented soloist on “Somebody’s Baby” by Jackson Browne, and an attention-grabbing soloist on “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” by Cake.
The Dynamics’ second soloist put on an amusing but impressive performance by complimenting his intentionally flat voice with appropriate dance moves. He got quite a chuckle out of the audience when he announced during the song that he would take applications during intermission from girls looking to fill the “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” role for him. The Dynamics completed their excellent performance with an amusing rendition of “Space Oddity,” by David Bowie, and a song featuring a soloist who sounded a bit too much like Cher.
Next up were the Cornell Cordials, who took the stage with confidence in their uniforms of black with red accents. They impressed the audience with “All You Wanted” by Michelle Branch, and with “Wherever You Will Go” by The Calling (a noted favorite of the Rensselyrics).
Their performance of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” featured a soloist who, though very talented, seemed almost too confident for the role. Continuing the trend of excellent individual vocal talent, soloist Jackie Pribil blew away the crowd at the Playhouse with her performance in “Heartbreaker,” appropriately injecting her voice with attitude while maintaining musicality.
Notable throughout the entire program was the solid performance of the backup vocals on each of the Cordials’ songs. The Cordials exhibited the talent and musicality one would expect, however, they seemed less at-ease on stage than many other groups this reviewer has seen. Altogether, their entertainment was enjoyable.
After intermission (pre-intermission comedy note: “Go ahead and intermiss.”), the audience returned to a mostly unexpected surprise: the all-female SUNY Binghamton Harpur Harpeggios. The Harpeggios had a bit of difficulty delivering at the level of the Cordials, but they put on a respectable performance.
They opened with “As Cool as I Am” by Dar Williams, as well as “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” The group seemed to perform best on slow songs emphasizing musicality over rhythm, with the sound of the all-female ensemble creating an interesting effect. They ended with “Hiro’s Song” by Ben Folds.
Though most of the solos were good, nearly all of them were performed by Amelia Robinson, one of the group’s most talented members. The Harpur Harpeggios should look to diversify their pool of soloists in future performances.
Last to take the stage were RPI’s very own Rensselyrics, known for being continually solid in all of their performances. The Lyrics opened with Billy Joel’s “River of Dreams,” featuring solo performer Brian Waite.
A known Billy Joel addict, Waite stunned the audience with a performance that the songwriter himself would have had to applaud. Rich Davis, a senior member of the Lyrics, openly declared that “Stacey’s mom has got it going on.” The entire group seemed to enjoy performing that song. The Lyrics closed up A Capella Palooza! with “Where Is The Love?” by Black Eyed Peas, featuring an impressive variety of soloists.
