Staff Writer Grace Novarr attended the YouTube live premiere of Miscast 2020, Columbia Musical Theater Society’s homage to the traditional Broadway fundraiser. 

On Friday at 8pm, the Columbia Musical Theater Society streamed their annual cabaret Miscast 2020 on YouTube. The event was modeled on Broadway’s popular fundraiser event, Miscast, in which big stars sing songs from roles that they would never be cast in because of differences in gender, appearance, or “type.” CMTS’ version was brief and entertaining, with five distinct performances. 

First, Russell Graviet (CC ‘23), Jalen Ford (CC ‘23), and Malcolm Toleno (CC ‘23) sang “Nothing Changes” from Hadestown. They were shown in split screen, being lit by candles held under their chins, singing a slow and haunting tune with a chilling effect. I’ve never seen Hadestown, so I’m not sure why these actors would not be considered appropriate to be casted for this song; all I know was that their rendition was well done and made me want to check out Hadestown.

Next, Kevin Chaikelson (CC ‘23) sang “Meadowlark” from The Baker’s Wife, a song and musical that I’d never heard of. Chiakelson amusingly belted the ballad with a deadpan expression, his eyebrows contorting wackily as he relayed what seemed to be a complicated analogy about a meadowlark and the character’s romantic predicament. Chiakelson’s voice was very controlled and dynamic and I couldn’t help but laugh at the seriousness and effort he lent to the melodramatic song.

Up next was Eliza Ducnuigeen (BC ‘21) singing “She Likes Basketball” from Promises, Promises, another musical that I am unfamiliar with. This performance had a comedic air as Ducnuigeen played the role of a smitten teenage boy celebrating his discovery that he has something in common with his romantic interest: they both like basketball. Using her jacket as a prop to great effect, Ducnuigeen was convincing as a lovestruck teenager, pretending to dribble and make jump shots as she poured her heart into the ode to athletic romance.

Then came Emily Liberatore (BC ‘21) singing “Where Do I Go” from Hair. Impressively, she played the piano while singing this heartfelt ballad. Her facial expressions had a touch of melodrama and her voice was incredibly clear and controlled. With this performance, I couldn’t get a sense of who the character who usually sings the song was supposed to be as well as I could from the other numbers (Hair is another musical I know nothing about.) but the rendition was powerful and moving, if not as humorous as the others.

Finally, Wesley Schmidt (CC ‘22) rounded it off by singing “Sexy” from Mean Girls (which I actually have seen!) Because of my prior knowledge, I was able to fully appreciate the hilarity and accuracy of Schmidt’s performance; he captured the dumb-blonde energy that the song is supposed to carry purposefully. In this ode to the sexy costume possibilities of Halloween, Schmidt brought the most physicality of the night, nearly recreating the original dance routine from the musical. He even incorporated a prop: sexy mouse ears. His facial expressions and vocal inflections were also hilariously accurate, making me wonder if it would be a good idea to perform Mean Girls with an all-male cast. 

Overall, the performances were funny, powerful, and uniformly well-done, a testament to the ability of musical theater to withstand the challenges of needing to perform while physically separate, using the Internet as a venue instead of a theatre. 

Check out CMTS Presents: Miscast 2020! at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAUORHsO8z8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1J-XO1nG7cd67MQX01MkOHpijOQI2ukZ3teaH7gLtmE616FLG4xr4oim0

Image via screenshot on Grace’s MacBook Air.