On Wednesday, May 2, members of the Libertyville High School choir performed their annual Cabaret in the LHS auditorium. The theme for the show was “I Love ‘80s,” which involved members of the show dressing up in bright-colored ‘80s-style clothing. The concert also featured performances from Choral, Concert Chorale, Bel Canto, Treblemakers, Acabelles, Cleftomaniacs and Master Singers.

The first act, mainly performed by the freshmen and sophomore members of the Chorale and Concert Chorale, started off with the upbeat and fun “Aladdin Medley” from Aladdin by Alan Menken. The Treblemakers and Cleftomaniacs also made an appearance performing “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift and “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas.

The Chorale and Concert Chorale also performed “Joy to the World,” by Three Dog Night, “For Now,” from Avenue Q by Robert Lopez, and “We Know the Way,” from Moana by Lin-Manuel Miranda, which was accompanied by percussionists senior Kate Roleck and junior Tate Constable. Overall, the Chorale’s performance provided a light, fun mood with features from numerous Broadway musicals.

The first act also included solo and small-group performances. The first quintet performance was “Rainbow” by Kesha, performed by freshmen Rachel Erdmann and Abby Gourley, sophomores Amanda Gourley and Matthew Pavlick and senior Will Neason. The five were individually dressed in a certain color, standing in the pattern of a rainbow. Later, freshman Ella Bach and sophomore Maddy Wittenbrink performed a duet with the song “One and Only” by Adele. The two traded off verses and sang together as well.

A solo performance was given by junior Olivia Gauvin (who is also a DOI staff member). Gauvin began with a quick speech, letting the audience know that her solo performance was a surprise to her parents and that her song choice, “Liability” by Lorde, was specifically chosen because it reflected her feelings and situation from the past year.

Act II involved performances from Bel Canto and Concert Choir, which consists of mostly upperclassmen. They performed a variety of songs, including “The Greatest Show” from The Greatest Showman by Ben Pasek and Justin Paul, “Mirrors” by Justin Timberlake, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. The second act featured the Acabellas and the Master Singers, who performed “Dancing Queen” by ABBA and “Allstar” by Smash Mouth. These group performances also featured many songs from Broadway musicals, but the feel of their performances differed from act I, in that Act II gave off a more profound atmosphere and mood.

Smaller Act II performances followed the same mood as the group performances and overall, featured more serious songs, such as “Spirits” by Strumbellas, performed by seniors Madison Kerber and Sarah Townsend, and “Cry For Me” from Jersey Boys, performed by junior Ben Mayo.

The night ended with a brief senior awards presentation, followed by a final performance by Bel Canto and Concert Choir, featuring soloists juniors EJ Chen and Julia Denoia and senior Alex Hibbard-Brown. They sang the song “You Will Be Found” by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. It gave a good wrap-up to the show, giving the audience a unified feeling.

Overall, Cabaret was an intriguing and fun experience and displayed the talent of numerous students.