Photos by Angie Stong
By Nile Pitts
The third annual “Spring Songs and Scenes” production went up Friday, April 8 and it rocked the house. Essentially a jumbled mix of songs and scenes from popular musicals, the production showcased plenty of talent from students who don’t normally show up in the bigger SCAD shows. Though it was mostly singing and choreographed numbers, the performance had a little bit of something for everybody.
It’s amusing that the night started with a tune highlighting the objectively silly idea of a musical. Almost in the style of award show hosts, the two opening performers sang about the oddities of moving in and out of song and dialogue and the audience having no qualms with it. A little meta can go a long way, and it primed the night well for a slew of scenes that were too wild and entertaining to lose focus.
That being said, I was the most shocked at this diversity in subject matter that ended up in the final show. I normally expect productions like these to be filled with love ballads and emotional baggage. And while there was definitely plenty of that, it took a backseat to the characters who always brought more to each scene than just their lines. It was impressive to watch two lovers at the end of their rope accept each other for who they are and then a scene that used love as the cure for paralysis just a few moments later.
Even better were the scenes that managed to give us a break from love songs and a moment to breathe in the weird. A very traditional scene from “Sweeney Todd,” about different people flavored foods, did little to prepare me for the rap number about winning $96,000 that came two scenes later. The best part about these more obscure scenes is they had the tendency to be much longer than some other love scenes. This gave me plenty of time to wander around in the ridiculous universe of “Legally Blonde,” one that promises actual health benefits from bending and snapping.
Oh yeah, “Legally Blonde.”
If there was one scene that stood out from all the others, it was the “Bend and Snap” number from “Legally Blonde.” The premise is hilarity on its own – bending down and snapping back up as a surefire way to pick up guys – but the backup girls dancing and singing to heartthrob boys barking left and right really helped to sell it. It isn’t often I get to see a harmless portrayal of the social differences between teenage girls and boys, so interactions between girls that know how to strut and guys that can’t get enough are always a good time. Not only that, but that scene probably had the most energy and garnered the most response out of all of them. There wasn’t a free hand in the room by the end of it and it had the crowd roaring.
The show ended with a wonderfully performed number that was directed just at the crowd. By its end, all of the other performers made their way on the stage again for their bows. It was a subtle ending that finally put a hard working cast and crew to rest.
Nile Pitts is a Writing major from Atlanta, Georgia. He spends most of his free time writing music, creating content for his YouTube channel and researching ways to one day become Spider-man.
