Last night, the cast and crew of the 114th Annual Varsity Show performed two half-hour previews. Deep in the nether regions of the “dive bar” formerly known as the West End, students and parents, as per tradition, filed into seats and booths around in the open space and piano in the back. The preview was narrated by […]

We weren’t quite sure what to think when the Varsity Show C-team came calling with a request to ask you, dear readers, to tell them how to write this year’s show. Do they really want to expose themselves to netizen ridicule? What good could come of a thread full of ad hominem attacks? But since […]

At approximately 4:30 AM last night, the students chosen to be in the 114th Annual Varsity Show’s cast were inducted into Columbia’s oldest theatrical tradition in the customary way – by getting hit in the face with pies. Around 70 people total auditioned, as opposed to 85 in ’06. Fewer people auditioning didn’t make the […]

Do you ever get nostalgia for your boarding/private school days? Cardigans? The old boys’ club? The Varsity Show has set up a country club on Low plaza, complete with cucumber sandwiches, Arnold Palmer’s, bubble gum cigars, and neon golf balls. Delicious!

Many of last year’s V-Show alums seem to be returning for V114, including Rob Trump, Emily Bickford, and Benjamin Velez. Director: Hannah Kass B’09 Producers: Erin Byrne B’09, Jeff Schwartz C’10 Writers: Rob Trump C’09, [B&W managing editor] James Williams C’08 Composers/Lyricists: Katie Hathaway B’10, Benjamin Velez C’10 Choreographer: Emily Bickford B’09 Art Director: Ben […]

If you haven’t noticed the giant yellow banner in Lerner yet, or the giant yellow posters all over campus, it’s V-show time–and tickets for “Insufficient Funds” are going fast (get yours here). Meanwhile, Bwog music critic Bryan Mochizuki has been chronicling rehearsals over the past few weeks, and created this pictorial window into the world […]

You missed… – Awards! The Kings Crown awards went out, landing in the inboxes (and on the resumes) of meritorious students. But perhaps more importantly, the undergraduate Academic Awards Committee made their picks: the Lionel Trilling Award, for the best book published by a member of the Columbia faculty in the calendar year; and the […]

Over 300 have the balls to stand out in the cold; 150 participate in much warmer Lerner teach-in (also, Spec includes a nifty little video) In the meantime, Computer Music Center staff catches colds without protesting Chillin’ with the Varsity Show Will Iran turn a cold shoulder? — In the meantime, the pro-life perspective of […]

The Varsity Show has a new website up, and, as the kids are saying these days, it is “quite nifty”. The rectangles of different colors that make up the home page fit together to make a giant rectangle in a very pleasing manner, and there is an excellent picture of several people intensely concentrating on […]

Geo Karapetyan, producer of the 113th Annual Varsity Show, sends us this early morning news:  The Varsity Show was cast last night and the creative team just pied  (most of) this year’s cast as an induction.  The cast for V113 is: Becky Abrams, C’08 Thomas Anawalt, C’09 Josh Breslow, C’08 Caitlin Harrity, B’07 Jordy Lievers, […]

So by now you must have noticed- how could you not?- the Varsity Show’s recruiting gimmick on the steps of Low today. They say it’s to drum up interest in auditioning for cast and chorus positions in Columbia’s favorite musical tradition. (November 13th-14th, 8-11PM, kids! Prepare a song!) We’ve also spotted camp-counselor recruiters wandering around […]

Peter Mende-Siedlecki CC’07, Tom Keenan CC’07, and Rob Trump CC’09 are this year’s Varsity Show writers. Bwog dispatched Brendan Ballou to find out what they think of campus humor, what the writing process is like, why the Minutemen probably won’t play so great a role in this year’s show- and why Christian Bale may: Brendan: […]

Now that the events of 10-4 have practically given them their storyline (hell, they don’t even have to build a set), all this year’s V-Show creative team has to do is put together the minutiae. Those now charged with this Herculean task were notified a few weeks ago, but Bwog has just obtained the formerly secret list for […]

Just Another Nobel Prize—but What Do You Figure Fox Will Comment on Tomorrow? Remember that Increase in Financial Aid?  SAC Commands CUC to Stand Firm in Its Commitment Marvin Stewart Packs Pepper, Unidentified Minuteman Kicks Protester on National Television; You Heard It Here First  Spectator Photo Coverage Foreshadows Varsity Show Publicity, Other People Get Nastier […]

Sharp-eared tipsters relayed these juicy conversational fragments: Overheard during the Varsity Show intermission in reference to the orphan fundraiser thing: Guy: You stole from an orphanage?! Transvestite (or so we think): I didn’t know it was an orphanage! I didn’t even know orphans existed! I thought they were one of those made-up things! Overheard before […]