Alivia Jones
Guest Writer
With twelve performers and nineteen songs, Make ‘Em Laugh is nearly two hours of musical tomfoolery. The evening flies by with dance breaks, costume changes and acrobatics to keep things interesting.
Several songs involve the entire cast. Standouts among these high-energy numbers include A Musical from Something Rotten with Riley Penland as a hyper showman and Hygge from Frozen II, led in true Nordic fashion by Danish student Mathæus Andersen. As for the smaller ensemble pieces, Positive from Legally Blonde gives four women a chance to shine, while Big Ass Rock from The Full Monty is a darkly funny male trio.
There are plenty of stand-out solos: Melanie Young nails a petulant attitude in Adelaide’s Lament from Guys and Dolls, Kristin Sorensen brings incredible stage presence and a stunning voice to When He Sees Me from Waitress and Luke Wenceslao shines as a physical comedian in the titular song. Meghan Johnson and Brady Grahe have amazing comedic chemistry in their duet The Song That Goes Like This from Spamalot—then impress as solo artists with The Song in Every Musical and Dentist from Little Shop of Horrors. Finally, Olivia Bentley elevates every number she is in with her flexible vocals, while Kody Smith steals the show with his hilarious facial expressions.
A warning for sensitive audience members: there is a sudden loud noise in the first act, and the second act contains mentions of suicide. That being said, the performers are clearly excited to be back on stage after nearly two years’ hiatus. This revue is the perfect weekend pick-me-up!
Performances are scheduled for Friday, Oct 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct 2 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for sale on their Eventbrite page and are free for PLU students, $5 for the PLU community and alumni and $10 for general admissions. $5 discounts are available for seniors and military.
