Selby Auditorium exploded in the wake of musical numbers by Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya as The Greatest Showman played in Sing-A-Long style for the audience. The event presented by The College of Arts and Sciences brought together students and faculty in a unifying way before the first day of classes. Students from all class levels were represented in Selby, which appeared to be at 90 percent capacity. Administrator of Events and Special Programs, Jennifer “Megan” Orendorf, who conducted substantial planning for the event including which included; satisfying Audio Visual needs, ordering food and general setup met attendees with an inviting smile at the door.
As Megan is usually central to the events put on by Arts and Sciences she was no stranger to community participation, however, lauded the success of the event. “I loved the level of enthusiasm and the fact that several students went all-out in their costuming,” said Megan.
The scent of freshly popped popcorn and soft drinks filled the air as the music began, which also appeared to take the tension out of the room. Students could be seen dressed as the characters from the film, including a very accurate representation of the Bearded Lady.
Several students took to their feet throughout the night and sang their hearts out, Megan reflected on one of these moments as the most memorable of the night. Megan stated, “For me, the most memorable part of the film, in this singalong setting, was the moment when the two theatre students (forgive me that I don’t know their names), stood up on the stage in front of the screen, held hands and sang the duet.”
Megan referred fondly to the rendition of “Rewrite The Stars” performed originally by Zac Efron and Zendaya, emulated by couple John “Timmy” Feiler and Alexa Klein. The couple immediately sprang to their feet garbed in their character’s outfits, Klein in a purple acrobat leotard and Feiler in a three-piece suit. The couple danced hand in hand emulating the twirls and synchronicity of their mimicked counterparts, the crowd became engaged and stood to their feet cheering as the couple concluded with a kiss.
Timmy said of the experience that it was spontaneously made and he decided that he was not going to worry about anyone judging him as someone that has been involved in stage dramatizations since middle school. Timm said, “It made for a good memory, given that it was with someone that makes me happy on a daily basis, it was like a mini date for us.”
Klein confirmed this experience saying, “I thought to myself am I in a movie right now; I didn’t think about anyone watching. Needless to say, the night ended pretty well for Klein who took an award for Most Participation during the night’s event. Klein said, “I actually didn’t expect to win anything at all, I just came to have a fun time.”
The award presented by Dr. Alicia Corts, Assistant Professor of Theatre in the Department of Language Studies and the Arts, was one of many given out for the night. Impressed by the turnout, Dr. Corts expressed her elation by stating, “I was pleasantly surprised by how many students came to the event and how they participated. No one was afraid to participate. Everyone sang out loud, and lots of people got up in front to perform. It was such a fun time!”
Reminiscent of the loud but wonderful singing by participants was Gabrielle Gonzalez who took to the aisle during Never Enough, performed originally enough by Lauren Allred was traced over with precision as Gonzalez’s seat could no longer contain her. The freshman moved from her seat into the aisle and down the steps of the Auditorium giving her all to the moment. The crowd stunned by her performance took to their feet again, in almost religious experience as some attendees broke into tears.
Also in attendance was the youngest participant that night, Ms. Lila Hobbs who took the award for Best Costume, adorned in her Ringmaster garb of a red penguin tailcoat and a black Top Hat. Lila’s gift was appreciated as she walked away with a large smile on her face. The event was very well received as audiences left Selby with not only a memorable experience but with a song in their heart.
