With the 2008 HBS Show now only a month away (playing Tuesday, April 22 to Friday, April 25), I have been working undercover to sneak into rehearsals and meetings and find the best insider info and gossip for you. Here goes.
The HBS Show has been, since 1974, the traditional highlight of the HBS year, and has an enormous reputation to live up to. This year, from what I’ve seen, I think they might just go one better! Rehearsals are happening every afternoon and evening (making it easy for a lone turkey to sneak in) and are seriously tough work for the more than 25 actors I’ve spotted. There’s a fantastic orchestra to accompany the sultry moves of the dance troupe. There’s a guest appearance from Dean Light (OK, it may have been someone acting ) and various other notable members of the faculty and HBS community. The costumes range from sexy to incredibly elaborate, and there are some of the funniest songs I heave heard since my late father H. B. S. Turkey Sr. performed “Bohemian Rhapsody” at Tommy Doyle’s Karaoke Night.
The hilarious Cristina “Dammit” DeVito (OI) and Joseph “JoCo” Cohen (OC) are returning to the stage after their success last year, and I spotted some brand new talent including Eliah “H-Bomb” Seton (NH), Laura “Valley Girl” Huddleston (NC), and the melodious Frances “Boots” Messano of the She-E-Os (OG). Together with one dance number that seems to be begging for a wardrobe malfunction a la Janet Jackson, I left the rehearsal pretty excited.
Having smuggled out a copy of what I thought was the script (but was actually a new scene written on the back of someone’s case) I resorted to gossip and found out a little more about the writing of the show. It’s an entirely original musical comedy, and Ira “Sunscreen” Noble (OF) brings last year’s experience to a talented team of writers including the stand-up comedy stylings of Brian “I played the Kong” Rosen (OC). The result is sometimes dry, sometimes outrageous wit focusing on all major figures of this esteemed university (and Mr Bush’s administration) for their satire. I do hope they have good friends in the law school. Your reporter is led to understand that the Dean will attend this year’s Show as he did in excellent humor in 2007 – he must understand he features with style.
Behind the scenes Lindsay “Bain” Levkoff (NG) is obviously running an efficient and tight ship. Jeremy “Power Trip” King directs with majesty from his imposing height, despite being balanced rather precariously three rows up in Burden; even his assistant, Alex “never appears in this newspaper” Godden (OJ) has four years’ professional experience in comedy theater to add. They direct; they workshop; they chase innocent turkeys from their rehearsals.
This year, the show is running Section nights as usual, allowing for the traditional Section pre-parties, although they will generously allow you to buy a ticket for another night if you need to. This schedule is one of the few parts of the show that is not being kept secret, so they’re allowing me to reproduce it below without any of the usual Thanksgiving-related threats, so mark your calendars now. The show is playing one fewer night than last year, so I hope everyone who wants to can get a ticket!
I promise to leak to you first anything more I can find. I’m hanging out under assumed name on the Facebook page “HBS Show 2008” and hoping someone will let more slip.
Section nights for the 2008 HBS Show – mark thy schedule, say I:
Tuesday, April 22
ND, NF, OA, OB, OC
Wednesday, April 23
NE, NH, OD, OE, OH
Thursday, April 24
NA, NG, OF, OG, OJ
Friday, April 25
NB, NC, NI, NJ, OI
* The Editors suspect this is not the author’s true name, although the Turkey does seem to spend a lot of time reading the Burden Hall noticeboard.
