The Penn State Thespians performed their tenth annual “MasquerAIDS ” cabaret for a full house last night in Heritage Hall.
For the past ten years, the student-run theatre group has put on this event to raise money to benefit the AIDS Project for Centre County. This year’s theme was “The Circle of Life,” which was thought up by the show’s choreographer Devon Fields.
The cabaret centered around the idea of life and the hardships that many seem to have in their lives. The show began where life starts at birth and ended with death, along with everything that happens in between.
“Each song goes in order somewhat of life,” Fields (sophomore-broadcast journalism) told the audience. “Some songs’ [themes] are obvious, but others you’ll have to figure out for yourself.”
The show opened with the show’s namesake “The Circle of Life” from the Disney film, “The Lion King.” Soloists, Chandler Blasini and Juliet Carrasquillo, led the chorus, as others performed an interpretative dance to the song.
For first-time attendee Tiffany Rivera, the show was an enjoyable success.
“The performance was really strong,” Rivera (junior-education) said. “It made my first experience with [the ‘MasquerAIDS’] amazing.”
Most scenes in the show were lighthearted, but the cast could easily flip the switch to a more serious tone when it was called for. Between scenes, an “old man”—played by one of the thespians—would heckle those on stage about the performance, making a comical interlude into the next scene.
In the end, though, the old man really tied into one of the final scenes of the night —a dance choreographed by Fields called “One Step, One Lifetime.” The interpretative dance was inspired by the love story in the Pixar film, “Up.” It followed the main character with his childhood sweetheart, through their heartbreaking journey of life and love together.
“[One Step, One Lifetime] really got to me,” Christine Wilkinson (sophomore-digital design) said. “I thought, overall, the show was really successful in what it wanted to do.”
As the show ended, the audience awarded the performers with overwhelming, exuberant applause. The night, surely, showcased the Penn State Thespians’ best of the best.
