On Thursday, April 7, Elizabethtown College’s chapter of Alpha Psi Omega (APO), the National Theatre Honor Society, presented the “APO Sings for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Broadway Cabaret” in Leffler Chapel. Hosted by junior Emma Mesko, the cabaret featured performances by some of your favorite “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Still Life with Iris” actors and crew members, along with a couple of new faces. Audience members were treated to 16 spectacular vocal performances, some raffle drawings and a plethora of facts about HIV, AIDS and the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS foundation.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the philanthropic heart of Broadway, helping people across the country and locally receive life saving medications, health care, nutritious meals, counseling and emergency financial assistance. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS is the single largest financial supporter of the essential social service programs at The Actors Fund, including the HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Phyllis Newman Women’s Health Initiative and The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts.
Mesko helped to kick off act one, performing “Sincerely, Me” from “Dear Evan Hansen” with first-year Julia Yudichak and senior Devon Moravec, both of whom appeared in the fall production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“Cabaret was a great opportunity for people to perform songs with friends or solo pieces that mean something to the individual or to the group,” Moravec explained. “It was a great opportunity to watch everyone express their passions on stage!”
The comedic trio was followed by a performance of “Journey to the Past” by senior Maeve Heine, the star of “Still Life with Iris.” Sophomore Judas Foster made their vocal debut following Heine’s lovely performance, changing the energy with an astounding rendition of “Meant to be Yours.” Audience members were then treated to a brief moment of deja-vu with “Dangerous Game” performed by junior Natalie Kerchner and first-year Aaron Oliver, who played Audrey and Audrey 2, respectively, in “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“It was nice to have a chance to perform with Nat again,” Oliver said about their performance. “And it was nice to actually be able to see her on the stage this time!”
Kerchner shared a similar sentiment, “It was a real treat to be able to sing with my theater family again. Cabaret gave me an opportunity to perform a song from one of my favorite shows, ‘Jekyll and Hyde.’ I’m very thankful that [Oliver] agreed to sing it with me, it was a blast!”
Senior Olivia Latsha followed up with her performance of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” In addition to treating us to a couple of wonderful songs throughout the show, Latsha was able to share her father’s piano talent with the audience and performers, as he joined the show as the accompanist.
First-year Kira-Marie McClure of Melica then treated us to her performance of “She Used to be Mine,” followed by junior Alli Amsbaugh’s vocal debut at Etown with “There are Worse Things I Could Do.”
“I really enjoyed performing for the Cabaret,” Amsbaugh said. “Thanks so much to APO and Sock & Buskin for putting on such a wonderful performance for such a good cause!”
To finish off act one, Mesko took to the stage once more to perform “You’re Nothing Without Me” with one of her best friends, junior Ingrid Peura.
Act two saw Heine, Latsha and Yudichak returning to perform the trio “The Negative” before senior Kelty Tarvin treated the audience to her performance of “They Don’t Know.” Then, the beloved Orin Scrivello, D.D.S., better known as first-year Nick Wiley, joined the show (somewhat reluctantly) to perform “Anything You Can Do” with Peura.
“Cabaret was appealing to me because it welcomed everyone regardless of experience or skill,” Wiley said after the show. “It was a fun experience that I would do again.”
Following the duet was “Everlasting,” Yudichak’s solo number and her final performance of the night. “Being a part of the cabaret was one of the highlights of my semester because it gave me the opportunity to sing roles I would never have been able to sing otherwise!” she explained.
Junior Dori Hall of Melica was up next, performing “Good Morning Baltimore” for the audience. Peura’s brief solo song, “Anyway,” followed the stunning performance, before senior Erin Vago and junior Logan Crosby sang “Falling Slowly.” Hall then returned with junior Cas Wyatt to perform “Found/Tonight” and close out the show.
“Everyone did such a wonderful job,” Mesko said. “I’m so glad we were able to have the cabaret this year and help support such a good cause. We raised $227, all of which was donated to BCEFA to put towards their efforts to support individuals living with HIV/AIDS.” Congratulations to all of our talented performers!
