Having only been formed four years ago, Colgate’s Cabaret has quickly grown into one of the most anticipated events of each semester. For their show, performed March 2 and 3 in the Palace Theater, the Caba-ret members found a common theme among the songs they wished to sing: love. Thus, “Cabaret: A Love Story” began, and the directors – junior Eri-ka Fritz and sophomores Kelly Curtis and Becca Murphy – started their work.

Incorporating Broadway songs, Disney classics and cur-rent hits, 33 students sang sto-ries of first love, unrequited love and love that lasts for-ever. The night opened with a Jersey Boys medley, and the numbers from musicals con-tinued throughout the night, with pieces from Sweeney Todd, Wicked, Grease, A Chorus Line and Little Shop of Horrors. Songs made famous by singer Adele, including “Turning Ta-bles” and Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” as well as Mika’s “Happy Ending” and Rihanna’s “Love the Way You Lie Part II” interspersed the night.

Group performances recreated moments from films; the Greek chorus in “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from Hercules added a light humor to the show, and the singers in “Summer Nights” echoed the style of Grease. The solos showcased many talented singers per-forming numbers that included senior Kenley Unruh’s “Johanna,” director Curtis’s “Lying There,” senior Chloe Nwangwu’s “Every Story is a Love Story,” senior Trinel Torian’s “Part of a Painting,” junior Molly Frantzen’s “Gimme Gimme,” senior Diandra Rivera’s “Raven,” Barnett’s “What I Did for Love” and Fritz’s “Love the Way You Lie Part II.” With a show that varied in genre and groups, this year’s Cabaret kept the audience entertained and maintained its cohesive thread of love.

Near the end of Cabaret, the seniors all sang “Light” from Next to Normal together. As seniors Liz Barnett, Mani Drey-fuss, Eliza Gomez, Hilary Nicholson, Chloe Nwangwu, Julia Raab, Diandra Rivera, Fatima Sowe, Trinel Torian, Kenley Unruh and Liz Wing harmonized with each other on stage for the last time, the au-dience could be a part of their moment of remembering their time together and preparing for the future.

The whole cast returned on-stage for the finale of Mika’s “Happy Ending,” soloist, ju-nior Xavia Publius, and, at the end of their Saturday night per-formance, the curtain fell on this semester’s Cabaret. When their last song finished, the cast thanked the seniors, the students who played the accompanying instruments and their choreographer, Fatima Sowe, along with Trinel Torian, who arranged the music.

The cast mentioned that putting together their show present-ed challenges, but they were glad that they had persevered and were so appreciative of the crowd that had come to hear them. As the cast stood together on stage, thanking its seniors, the theme of the night continued. For, just as love had permeated through all of their songs, love radiated off of the stage as they all took their final bow. The Cabaret this year not only brought music to our ears, but also reminded its audience of the importance of love and how it connects us all.

Contact Bridget Sheppard at [email protected].