Varsity Show review (spoilers!)
Don’t read this unless you’ve seen the show already/aren’t planning to see it at the 2 or 8 p.m. showing today. But you should really go see it. Get tickets here.
The 118th reincarnation of the V-Show portrays the struggle of classics/philosophy major Phineas, played by Sean Walsh, CC ’14, to defend the Core Curriculum against the corporate reform efforts of Columbia Career Education Director Niamh (pronounced “Neeeeev”) O’Brien, played by Rebekah Lowin, CC ’14. O’Brien, in an effort to enhance post-graduation employment rates, institutes the “Corporate Core.”
To humanities geeks like Phineas, the regimen of classes on sleaze and business protocol is intolerable, and he forms a protest coalition under the banner of Alma’s Army.
Thematically, the show does a good job of touching on hot-button issues of the past year such as Occupy Wall Street and the McKinsey report without resorting to the tired 99 percent jokes that killed every Halloween party.
The issues are nicely united as part of the main conflict, without getting lost in the subplots that have plagued V-Shows past.
Behind this all is a strong orchestra that plays out the catchy, tight songs with skill. Numbers like “Another Epic Day!” and “The 1 Percent” stand out, and Bwog-riffing “That’s How I Troll” is an absolutly brilliant display of musical force mixed with comedy (“Trolling in the Deep,” anyone?) and striking relevance.
Creatively, classic musical-theater standby (read: unusual but perfect choice) Dante brings the (disco) inferno to Phineas’s Wien single with “Another Epic Night.”
The artistic design team also deserves a round of applause for an immaculate set. Art Director Stephen Davan, CC ’12, reproduced a striking exterior of Hamilton Hall that seamlessly transitioned to scenes along Broadway and to Mel’s Burger Bar.
But the set couldn’t carry the weight of the show, which sags at times, usually under the heaviness of generic and bland Columbia tropes that have probably only sporadically been left out since V-Show 1.
An emphasis on stereotypical conventions over authenticity distanced the performance a little: The earthy, dreamy Barnard girl (Eleanor Bray, BC ’14) and vapid CC girl (Jenny Singer, BC ’15) seemed more like token stereotypes than fully fleshed-out characters. In plot as well, the writers retreated to overly familiar, somewhat gratuitous cliches: hookups “in the But”(ler stacks) and weepy girls blubbering outside of Koronet’s.
Read the full review here.
isn’t the stereotype that barnard girls are vapid and cc girls are overbearing lofty dreamers?
since when is a vapid CC girl a stereotype?
this review does an injustice to the show. it was better than I could hope for.
I have many things to say about this review, but here’s one: mentioning GS when and how they did was exactly appropriate, and in just the right amount.
Enhorabuena al Colegio de Ibias. Ha sido una jornada faulbosa, muy completa. Los nif1os y nif1as del colegio muy buenos, educados y con ganas de aprender Es impresionante la implicacion del profesorado.
Привет!!!Очень оригинальная идея Я живу в Испании, здесь даже бабушки 70-80 лет ездят на велосипедах. Сама я занимаюсь montambike . В Испании люди спортивные, не то что в Росстии одна пьянка. Занимайтесь спортом и будьте здоровы!!!
Spec wrote a lower-quality theater review than Bwog (and not just because it’s a somewhat negative review, Bwog had their criticisms too). Not only is this stylistically lacking, but some of the arguments against the show don’t make much sense. You complain about bland Columbia tropes, yet what got the biggest laughs/applause? Wilma. Oprah at Barnard. Commencement ticket. If the show didn’t have Columbia quips in it, then it wouldn’t be the Varsity Show.
This review contains next to no critique of any actor’s performance, and demonstrates that the writers didn’t really pay attention during the show. The Barnard girl says straight out that it’s about “more than the core” and Phineas says the same thing at the end. The whole point is following your passions, not loving the core.
Also, I don’t really see how Niamh O’Brien is a “blank check.” I’m sure the three writers of this article have used LionShare and seen how it’s all econ jobs, dealt with the CCE, and as undergrads at the school they get all of her e-mails. And complaining about being CC-centric is strange, even as a SEAS student myself. If they wrote a show about GS nobody would get it.
I think this was a terrific show. I think this review failed to capture the essence of this year’s v show. Good thing next to nobody reads spectrum anyway.
actually, i thought it was a really good review. bwog is irrelevant – their review was their opinion and this is spec’s. the more the merrier!