Midterm period is tough. Students spend hours in libraries and review sessions, cramming in last-minute facts. Sleep and fun slip from existence for weeks as students slave over papers and tests. Musical Forum's Midterm Revue, a mash-up of various musical theater songs set to an original plot, offers a familiar snapshot of the student experience at this hectic time in the semester. Set in the basement of the beloved Sciences Library, the play showcases 10 students with a variety of interests who find their own ways to cope with papers, problem sets and lab reports.
The cast performed four shows in the Underground last weekend. The musical began slowly as students trickled in to the tune "Racing with the Clock" from "The Pajama Game" while the cast settled in to begin studying. The driving plot point was a dangerously low supply of coffee - as soon as the studious group realized they had no source of caffeine, they launched into a dramatic rendition of "Coffee Break" from "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." Bolstered by their performance, the students began to reveal their insecurities, discussed the merits of majoring in English and accepted donuts from a naked man. Standout numbers from the show included "I Am Africa" from "The Book of Mormon," "The Book Report" from "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and the inspirational "Our Time" from "Merrily We Roll Along."
The audience was swept along on an emotional roller coaster, swinging from dramatic breakdowns to hopeful enthusiasm. The full spectrum of midterm feelings - from utter despair to triumph, and back again - was thoroughly explored.
Writer, director and accompanist Sam Davidoff-Gore '15 said he was inspired to create a midterm revue by a "business review" show he was a part of this summer.
Davidoff-Gore said he used four or five songs from the business show, then added a few of his own choosing. In his search for actors, Davidoff-Gore said he sought people who could bring unique perspectives to the concept of stress.
