BROOKE THAMES
A&E Writer
Family, friends and lots of Lutes filed into Lagerquist Concert Hall March 8 to witness an entertainment extravaganza put on by some of Pacific Lutheran University’s most beloved performance groups. PLUtonic, HERmonic and Clay Crows banded together Saturday to produce their 2015 Spring Concert, a show that elicited laughs, awe and thunderous applause.
Comedy and music seem worlds apart, but this is not the first time that a capella and improv have shared a PLU stage. HERmonic and Clay Crows have a history of performing together. Inspired by the success of a former collaboration, the two groups decided that it was time to get back together.
“We thought that it would be great to break away from our usual concert and add something new and fun,” said HERmonic president senior Anne Herzog. “I talked to…[the] president of PLUtonic, and he agreed.”
The show featured several sets of music performed by PLUtonic and HERmonic, accompanied by a hilarious half-hour performance by Clay Crows.
Highlights of HERmonic’s performance included a mash-up of “Try,” by Colbie Callait and “Pretty Hurts,” by Beyonce, and the group’s International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella set featuring tracks by Beyonce, Sia and Taylor Swift.
PLUtonic delivered on their classic combination of humor and music in their opening song “Low,” by Flo Rida and earned a well-deserved standing ovation with their performance of the hymn “How Great Thou Art” featuring sophomore Josh Bozich.
The comedic acts of the Clay Crows served as a welcome intermission between the music. The crowd offered up big laughs to games such as “Timeline,” in which the members play scenes before and after a specific event, and “You’re Fired,” where a cast member must decipher why he or she was late for work given clues by the other actors.
“The premise [of the show], as it usually is for any of the a capella or improv shows here on campus, [was]…to have fun,” said HERmonic and Clay Crows member, Sadi Wentz.“We all love to showcase what we do…whether it’s singing songs that everyone loves or getting a few laughs.”
The formula of comedy and melody equated to a spectacular performance by all three groups in an collective singing/improv activity. A surprise group act presented the members of Clay Crows with the challenge of acting out songs sung by PLUtonic and HERmonic.
It is fun performances like these that Herzog said provides an important escape for students, faculty and staff.
“When people come to a HERmonic and PLUtonic concert, they get a chance to take a break from their daily lives and whatever may be stressful to them to relax and listen to great music,” Herzog said.
Shows such as the PLUtonic, HERmonic, Clay Crows Spring Concert are unique displays of talent, hard work and fun.
“It’s not often that the theatre department and the music department get to collaborate for fun like this,” Wentz said. “This was truly some of the most fun we’ve had on stage.”
