Partial Credit put on a great show in Mother’s last Saturday after a busy weekend, having previously performed at Relay For Life and the Rensselaer Music Association’s Spring Concert. The group sang 15 songs in all while performing for a packed house. Experimental Error treated the audience to a few sketches throughout the evening, adding levity to the performance.
The evening opened with “Great Escape” by Guster, and Andrew Schwendeman ’10 provided a solo with backup vocals from Connor Coffey ’11. This was a newer song that could use some refining; however, it was a solid arrangement and a good start to the night. “Zoot Suit Riot” by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies was the next song, with Rich Marchetti ’09 performing a solo. The song, a toe-tapping number, was reminiscent of the World War II era; the energy was electrifying. “In My Life” by The Beatles followed and the entire group did a great job. I’m not really a fan of The Beatles, but it was hard not to appreciate the effort that went into it. Continuing the momentum of the evening, the next song was “Katamari on the Rocks” by Yu Miyake and Masayuki Tanaka, with a solo by Allan Pendergrast ’09 and backup by John Maderazo ’10. The song, from a video game entitled Katamari Damacy, was another new-era piece, and a more eclectic one. I’ll be honest; it wasn’t one I enjoyed much. The audience and I were then treated to what has become one of my favorites in Partial Credit’s repertoire, “Baba Yetu” by Christopher Tin, which was sung by Nick Kirsch ’11 with backup provided by Laura Cox ’11. The song is a lyrical version of the Lord’s Prayer performed in Swahili, and it is a beautiful piece. Kirsch’s accent was perfect, and the group did a marvelous job with it. The next song was “Jumper” by Third Eye Blind, with a solo by Hannah DeLisle ’10. The performance was solid, and there was great rhythm to the song.
Experimental Error performed several sketches throughout the night. The first was about a group of singers teaching math to second graders, with one member of the group being ridiculous and trying to educate the class about complicated things like irregular polygons and the Bernoulli equation. Another sketch involved losing a pen. The mundane became incredibly dramatic and devastating, while characters’ responses to events that would normally be considered upsetting—such as an illegitimate child—were blasé. The loss of the pen was far more upsetting than “the other woman” being pregnant with the male lead’s child. After every few lines two extras would trade places back and forth across, uttering a “dun dun dun!” as they went.
The next skit provided a play on words when a wave of “funk” was about to hit two military men. The only way to save themselves was to dilute the “funk” with soft rock; in the end they couldn’t be saved, despite a few well-placed puns such as, “There’s a strong wave of funk coming from the East. It must be Motown.” Another sketch offered “a touch of culture” and provided short skits in which members of Experimental Error held up printouts with their characters’ names printed. There were sketches that poked fun at Harry Potter, Gone with the Wind, The Matrix, and Titanic, among others. The Gone with the Wind skit introduced Scarlett and Rhett. Someone then held up a sign that said “3 1/2 hours later”; now, Scarlett was a southern belle and Rhett didn’t give a damn. Experimental Error gave a great performance during its sketches and left the audience in stitches.
The night continued with Partial Credit’s Michelle Santospirito ’10 singing “You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth” by Meatloaf. After the song, the evening continued with a nice change, when there was a song specifically sung only by the women, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher” with a solo by Jessica Hunter ’11. Hunter offered a great solo; she’s a real performer. The men of Partial Credit then treated the audience to “Silhouettes on the Shade” by The Rays. This was a wonderful update to a classic. The next song was “New Shoes” by Paolo Nutini, with a solo by Maderazo and backup by Santospirito. Maderazo has a lovely voice, and it was very nice to listen to him. “New Shoes” was followed by Billy Joel’s “Lullabye,” which everyone really got into. “Carry on My Wayward Son” by Kansas was the next song, sung by Libby Stehr ’09. It was followed by “The Only Difference Between Martydom and Suicide is Press Coverage” by Panic at the Disco, which was sung by Pendergrast with backup by Cox. This was not one of my favorites. It didn’t seem like a good selection for an a cappella piece, and it was hard to differentiate the soloist from the rest of the group.
The evening ended with Morgan Shea ’09 singing “Wishin’ I Was There” by Natalie Imbruglia. Shea has a lovely voice and the song was a perfect selection for her talents. The alumni in the audience were asked to come up and perform with the group; it was clear that everyone enjoyed themselves, and they sounded great. Finally, after demands from the crowd, the night ended with an encore piece of “Kiss the Girl” arranged by the Sons of Pitches, with a solo by Maderazo. The song, a comical version of the Disney classic, was clearly a crowd favorite.
The show offered a wonderful evening; unfortunately, there was an issue with the cables for the speakers, and only part of the audience was close enough to the stage to really enjoy the performance. Despite the technical difficulties, Experimental Error was hysterical and Partial Credit gave another wonderful performance, demonstrating its diverse talents and doing what it really enjoys.
