By Don Fisher ’75
The Undergrad Club opened its fall show tonight with a rousing intro from the band followed by a clever opening number whisking us back to the 80’s. “Put it away, you’ll be OK” sang the chorus, admonishing us to put away our cell phones.
The first act features a series of witty, topical sketches including a movie pitch for a non-sequel sequel, a poke at public access radio, and a guest appearance from Edgar Allan Poe. Tap dancing pandas, ninjas and monks brought the first act to a strong close.
A solid audience for opening night was highly engaged with the band and the cast throughout the show and responded well to both “Penn” jokes as well as broader topics. Thirty faculty members joined with Wig friends and family, a large contingent from the class of 2016 and several residents of Fisher Hassenfeld College House to cheer the company on.
The second act picked up where the first left off, using a series of Rolling Stone covers to poke fun at things Penn. Scenes from Harry Potter and Titanic were featured as well as a video short.
But the closing number was truly the crowd-pleaser, featuring NSA agents confirming your worst fears: they can see everything. With strong singing and dancing the audience was ecstatic.
