Musical apocalypse hits Rice
Music, screaming and laughs filled McMurtry College commons Feb. 27 to March 1, as Lovett Theatre and McMurtry Arts Committee brought to life the horror-comedy-musical: “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals.”
The story follows Paul, the titular guy who doesn’t like musicals, as he and his friends attempt to survive an alien apocalypse that is turning the world into a musical. The show often refers to 2018 popular culture, the year of its release.
“We’re dressed like how people dress nowadays, we talk the way people talk nowadays and there are jokes that you would get because we’re in that current cultural moment, and we haven’t really done a show like that before,” said Celeste Uribe, a Baker College junior. “A lot of the [other shows] have been a little antiquated.”
Nadia Thieriot, a McMurtry junior, was the director and one of the show’s producers. As a long-time fan of the production, she said she was excited to bring the musical to her home college.
“I’m very excited that I’ve gotten to bring theatre to McMurtry, especially since the past few years since I’ve been doing residential college theater, there hasn’t been any at any north colleges,” Thieriot said.
Throughout the production process, Thieriot said she used her experience to create her unique interpretation of the story, which she was able to bring to life.
“It’s been such a joy to be able to dig really deep into the script and work with a very talented cast,” Thieriot said.
The musical came together throughout the first seven weeks of the semester, bringing the cast, pit and tech members close together, according to stage manager and bass guitarist Carolina Balboa.
“The cast created their own culture in a way that I forgot theater does to people,” said Balboa, a Baker College freshman. “This is just a show comprised of incredibly talented, hard-working and good-hearted people … It makes me want to do more.”
Thieriot said the cast and production team worked through a short timeline to bring the show together.
“We had about five weeks of rehearsals, and now we are doing our shows,” Thieriot said. “It’s fast-paced for a show, but the show is not particularly long, and I had faith we could do it in this time frame.”
Music director Elise Stewart, a Hanszen College sophomore, also said the amount of time spent preparing for the show built a sense of community between the cast and crew. Additionally, throughout the performances, they enjoyed connecting with the audience and watching their work come together, she said.
“My favorite part of the show was watching all of the Hidgens scenes,” Stewart said. “Every time he came on stage, the audience started dying. It didn’t matter if it was just ‘Alexa, dim the lights!’”
Audience members said they enjoyed the humor of the show and the vibrant musical numbers performed on stage.
“I like the humor … the one-liners are hysterical, and they always come at odd times,” said Arwyn St John, a McMurtry junior. “The musical numbers are great, and I enjoy watching the side characters have scenes of their own while the main characters are talking.”
“The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals” is just one of the many shows being put on by residential colleges this semester, something that both the audience and team members said they appreciated.
“I’ve just generally been really excited about the number of plays and musicals going on this semester,” said audience member Rita Ajit, a Lovett College senior. It started with “Into The Woods,” and I’ve been following all of the productions around campus.”
Balboa said she’s glad that these productions are becoming a bigger thing this year.
“Wiess is back, and Lovett came back this year … I was told it was going to be chaotic, and there are a lot of things where you just have to start thinking on your feet,” Balboa said. “But it's worth it for the creative freedom and having a lot more personal input on how the show runs.”
Throughout the performances, members of the cast and crew said they fed off the audience’s energy. For many involved, that connection was what made the production truly special.
“My favorite part was honestly the audience. The audience’s energy, the laughing, they gasped at all the important parts,” said cast member and Brown College sophomore Miranda Schwab. “It was incredible; bouncing off that energy made the whole thing come together.”
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