The Man Show 2003. Three all-male Princeton singing groups serenading a full house. An a cappella fan's dream.
On Friday, Feb. 28, the aisles of Theater Intime were packed with students and parents eager to witness the art of all-male a cappella performed by the Footnotes, Nassoons and the Tigertones.
The hour-and-a-half music showcase raised $1,000 for Homefront, a local organization dedicated to providing housing and social support to homeless families in the Trenton, Lawrenceville and Princeton area.
"I am thrilled that we were able to contribute to the Homefront Organization again this year," Nassoon Kris Kersey '04 said in an e-mail. "It is a great way to make students more aware of the problems that people face just a few miles out of the Princeton 'bubble.'"
The Footnotes
The Footnotes, 16-strong, opened the show with their crowd-pleasing rendition of Prince's "Kiss," performed by their music director, Chukwuka Nwabuzor '05. Decked out in dark suits, their set was full of upbeat, energetic numbers and heartfelt solos, and the audience was responding constantly with cheers and applause.
Highlights included the African-chant inspired "Circle of Life" with soloist Ryan Goldenberg '03, Chaz Prasad '03's clear and powerful rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," and a new arrangement by Benito San Miguel '03 that could have inspired a tango in the isles.
But the showstopper of the Footnotes' set was an insanely energetic performance of Phish's "Julius" by Aaron Snyder '03. Snyder, a bass, began with the stance and tone of a Sinatra-like crooner and by the end had the audience clapping in their seats as he growled, scatted, hopped and danced around the stage.
It was surprising that the audience members could control the urge to hop out of their seats in excitement. But as Snyder took a breath at the conclusion of the song, the crowd simply erupted into wild applause.
The "Feet" closed their set by escorting a female audience member on-stage and serenading her with the doo-op classic, "All I Ask For Is You," performed by David Jung '04.
"I think we had our best performance of the year on Friday night," Nwabuzor said.
The Nassoons
The 10-member Princeton Nassoons switched the mood of jovial entertainment to one of classic, well-performed yet fun a cappella.
Jeff Boulian's '05 smooth and soulful performance of the opener, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," garnered woops and applause from the audience, while it was easy to get lost in Michael Chow's '04 clear tone in George Michael's "I Can Heal the Pain."
Marlo McGriff '04 displayed his clear and airy Tenor I voice in "Danny Boy."
One of the highlights of the "'Soon" set was their now-classic medley of Muppets songs.
From the opening Muppets theme, to Tim Laporte's '05 "Mana-mana" (the only words in the entire song), to Michael Chow's Kermit impression during "The Rainbow Connection," the audience was alive.
Zach Augustine '03 displayed his baritone dexterity in the classic "It Had To Be You," and "Diamonds on the Soles her Shoes."
In Augustine's first solo, his vibrato, swells and deep jazzy tone brought the audience back perfectly to the Big Band era.
But the breakout performance award for the Nassoons must be given to the freshman soloist Sean Effinger-Dean.
The only '06er in the group, he performed two solos with perfection during the set. His voice floated effortlessly through the jazzy progressions in "Hoja," and his power and clarity, as well as his impressive range, was showcased in "How Deep Is The Ocean."
The Tigertones
The last group to perform, the Tigertones, bounded on stage sporting the classic preppy uniform of dark (mostly navy blue) blazers, ties and khakis. But "for the audience's viewing pleasure," and in lawn-parties style, Steve Porter '04 and Greg Callahan '05 donned plaid linen pants, blue flip-flops and colorful jackets and ties.
The 13 members of the group then exploded into song with Ray Charles' "Good Old A Cappella." Matt Berner '05 warmed up the crowd with growls and soul, while Nathan Freeman '03 brought a blend of country and gospel tone to the second verse.
The "Tones" brought intense energy to their varied set of pop, gospel, jazz and classical. Brad Wood '03's deep bass tone on "East of the Sun" brought the classic Triangle Club song to life once again, while Russ Cannon '06, Callahan and Berner's trio on "Bring It To Me" blended perfectly.
Callahan, Paul Alexander '03 and Freeman displayed their perfect syncopated timing on "That Cat Is High" as they executed unison trills, growls, swells and impeccable scatting.
Alexander's rendition of the classic crowd pleaser "Brown Eyed Girl" once again commandeered cheers and applause from the crowd. Porter's passionate performance of "Walking in Memphis" showcased his use of dynamics to add life into a solo.
The closing number of the night highlighted the sense of humor so prevalent in a cappella. With loosened tie, mussed hair and sporty sunglasses, Freeman took on the attitude of a boy band star with "I Want It That Way" as the group acted out the song behind him to laughs and cheers from the audience.
"We were striving for an eclectic mix of 20th century music," said Joe Cermatori '03, musical director of the 'Tones.
The Man Show offered a chance to indulge in an hour and a half of high quality a cappella as well as a chance to help a locally-based charity. Not only did the audience enjoy the show, the performers themselves also had a great time.
"All of the groups look forward to this show each year since we don't have to fight the wind or rain as in an arch," Kersey said.
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