Sure, I’ll Have Another Sip of Kool-Aid!

Ladies, gentlemen, those who have yet to decide: how are we feeling tonight? It’s all going to be high spirits, dry spirits, you-can-call-me-tonight spirits. Now, who can tell me where the most swankified place in town is? Oh—it’s right here! 

In a flurry of glitz, glamour, and a couple glasses of Kool-Aid, this year’s Senior SING! put on a show for the ages. Led by third-year coordinator Rayen Zhou and produced by Daniella  Solomon, Malka Lubelski, Esayah Edghill, Michelle Huang, and Johnny Lin, the Class of 2025’s victorious performance was a dazzling delight of melodious music, lively dancing, and expressive lights and sets—all with a Roaring 20s flair. The seniors were miles ahead of their competition, even enthralling and engaging with the audience even before the curtains opened; in-character dancers passed out invitations to the fantastical Shirley’s Temple.

The show aptly began with snippets of radio broadcasts from the 1920s, recounting Harding’s inauguration and the Ford Model T, before focusing on Mildred (Lily Kim). After Mildred was ignored by her parents for the umpteenth time, she broke into a vocal reimagining of “Girl on Fire” and lamented over feeling unseen. The song’s early appearance in Senior SING!’s production was both an incredible build-up to the eventual plot and an example of the light crew’s masterful work. Suddenly, a barista (Jeffrey Wan) took away Mildred’s plate in the school cafeteria, and the audience was brought into a Roaring-20s-esque speakeasy and introduced to the main cast and setting of the story, including Shirley (Rachel Alvarez), Bobbie (Adeline Sauberli), and Annette (Zoey Marcus). 

To the tune of “Sparkling Diamonds,” the first dance number took place in the speakeasy—a perfect representation of 1920s hidden entertainment culture—with Bolly in complementary red and gold and Latin in black and gold. After Mildred agreed to become a singer at the speakeasy to escape her neglectful parents, history teacher Dr. Zachary Berman made his first appearance dressed as the Kool-Aid man (“Kool-Aid for life!”), and the audience got a hint at the chemistry between the show’s ever-funny dynamic duo of a ventriloquist (Maxwell Schoenstein) and his puppet (Milo Smulansky). They were also treated to a lively Bolly performance to “Radha”—a tribute to the Kool-Aid that keeps the speakeasy running. 

After the show’s first successful blackout, the audience was fully introduced to Denise (Elizabeth Neftin), who revealed to Mildred exactly why Shirley’s Temple is so alluring: it provided a place where the performers and crew truly belong. Shirley then quickly entered the scene, reacting coldly to Denise, and explained the club’s daily routine, describing each and every one of their roles—aided by perfectly timed spotlights and the ring of a cowbell. Like clockwork, each tableaux was described, providing a quick peek into the lives of the two romantic chefs Cherrie (Marielle Daignault) and Bobbie; the magician Houdini (Dylan Ross) and dancer Lola (Andrea Wang); the ventriloquist pair; and the club’s former star-singer Annette. 

Once Shirley finished guiding her and the audience through the speakeasy, Mildred approached the Ventriloquist-Head and Puppet-Face in a charming interaction. The ventriloquist duo bounced off each other’s energy; their witty, though crude, jokes were a testament to their unique dynamic that provided comedic relief. They introduced the show’s revived tap crew, whose short and sweet routine to “I Got Rhythm” was a refreshing immersion into the era’s culture despite the crew’s small size. As Mildred, Ventriloquist-Head, and Puppet-Face walked off stage, the show transitioned to the next scene where Annette voiced her frustrations about being cast aside. After a brief cameo from a buzzing Rayen bee, basqued in purple light, Annette began a breathtaking solo to “Habits” alongside modern’s ambitious performance. Annette and the dancers filled up the room through precise stage directions and proper blocking, accompanied by a shifting, intricate set. The scene truly demonstrated Senior SING!’s professional execution.

It became clear that Annette no longer wanted to stay at the club, yet she was met with Shirley’s harsh pushback. Their back-and-forth, aided by the well timed delivery of a second “concepts of a plan” joke and a jab about Plan B, ended with Shirley’s supposed acceptance of Annete’s leave. Before her departure, Shirley proposed a toast, and the audience was introduced to the show’s principal motif: as Annette agreed and took a swig of Kool-Aid, flashing red lights and a few eerie musical notes signaled something was awry. Suddenly, Annette forgot all about her plan to leave, while Shirley smiles sinisterly—our first glimpse at Shirley’s potentially malicious intentions.

Shifting focus, the show moved on to Bobbie and Cherrie cooking in the kitchen with the surprising aid of SophFrosh’s Dwarves (Daniel Li, Kevin Lin, and Wenjie Ma) in perhaps an even funnier role than before. The humorous scene delivered consistent punchlines against Red-40; an unexpected, yet appreciated moment of silence for Terry’s; and a targeted diss towards the more lustful couples in the junior atrium. Although Bobbie was once resolved to leave Shirley’s Temple with Cherrie, after a sip of the mysterious red Kool-Aid and the same ominous theme, he became determined to stay with Shirley. While Shirley moved onto manipulating Cherrie, Bobbie’s physical comedy—soaring around the stage like an airplane— painted him as naive and scared. The show then changed gears with Ventriloquist-Head and Puppet-Face chanting for hip-hop. Although wearing slightly anachronistic sports jerseys, hip-hop’s vivacious performance to Ariana Grande’s “Problem” was fast-paced and well choreographed. However, Bobbie and Shirley’s vocals were slightly muted by the band’s high-energy instrumentals. Nevertheless, thanks to their coordination, the scene was one of the many memorable dance sequences of the night.

Meanwhile in the dressing room, Lola and Houdini engaged in a play fight over flying toys—punctuated by Shirley’s entrance. Shirley requested recommendations for a new busboy, and Lola immediately offered up her daughter for the job. The conversation devolved into a series of quips about child labor, and Shirley refused to offer Lola’s daughter the job. Houdini confronted Lola about bringing her daughter into the club environment, with a crowd-pleasing dig at biology teacher Marissa Maggio’s “support” of child labor. Houdini and Lola exchanged insults—Lola called him a communist, to which Houdini had no response. Finally, they resorted to a dance battle. Lola and Houdini engaged in a back-and-forth vocal performance: Lola performed “Rolling in the Deep” with the modern dance crew while Houdini performed “Talk Dirty to Me” with the hip-hop crew. This format was creative and refreshing, re-engaging the audience after some slightly-filler dialogue. Houdini’s vocal performance and stage presence were strong but quiet; Lola recovered nicely from a vocal hiccup halfway through the number. 

Mildred finally discovered Shirley’s sinister intentions after speaking with Annette, who had once wanted to leave the club but, after drinking the Kool-Aid, insisted upon staying. Within just a few lines, Mildred managed to piece together both Shirley’s deceit and that the Kool-Aid was the instrument of her schemes. Here, Mildred’s “easy realization” took away from the otherwise strong plot point, advancing the story too quickly while leaving suspense behind and the audience somewhat underwhelmed. Then, the dancers got their revenge on Shirley by feeding her a shirley temple (clever!) and the scene closed with a witty one-liner from Puppet-Face.

Following the hit joke delivered expertly by Puppet-Face, the quartet returned to the brewery, hoping to carry out their plan of diluting the Kool-Aid with a douse of a Shirley Temple—a nice dash of poetic justice. As Cherrie hurriedly poured the drink into the Kool-Aid, Mildred warned that she heard Shirley coming. Houdini, thinking quickly, decided to distract the impeding intruder with a magic trick, but it was dead on arrival thanks to the bird corpse that came out of his jacket. The gang rushed out just in time before Shirley walked in. Thankfully, Shirley didn’t seem to notice anything amiss; with a bit of struggle and a reference to Wicked, she pushed the barrel of diluted Kool-Aid off the stage, presumably in preparation for the party that night. 

As the preparations for the party continued, a worker (Brian Moran) and Shirley discussed the lighting, paving the way for flow’s performance to “Break My Heart.” Flow delivered a well-executed performance, presenting an innovative style where the dancers wore luminescent gloves and performed with synchronized hand movements as opposed to the usual glowing tools that flow is known for. The bright gloves as the only lights on stage accompanied by the dancers wearing all black would have ideally created a mesmerizing illusion of floating, synchronized hands, but the effect was slightly diminished since the theater wasn’t quite dark enough to completely mask the dancers’ silhouettes. Still, flow’s performance displayed the seniors’ expertise, making for a smooth, riveting lights showcase with no noticeable mistakes.

Almost immediately after flow’s exit, Latin made a reappearance, ready to commence the party. Everyone took a swig of the diluted Kool-Aid and the party kicked into full gear with Latin’s performance to “Sing Sing Sing.” Latin matched flow’s mastery, delivering an impressive performance befitting the lively party atmosphere that the Kool-Aid was meant to create. Shirley watched from the sidelines, admiring her work. 

In true Roaring 20s fashion, the party ended with a dramatic collapse of everyone but Shirley and Mildred. Mildred instigated a heated but much-needed confrontation with Shirley, finally holding Shirley responsible for holding the speakeasy members in captivity for years. After the main crew woke up and realized the immense manipulation they underwent, Shirley attempted to justify her wrongdoings by sharing her own villain origin story, which, much to her advantage, was full of tragedy: she was orphaned and raised by unloving gangster members who forced her to take part in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Shirley felt it was necessary to foster a community of loners that confide in and love each other—even if it meant spiking their Kool-Aids to forcefully keep them there. In the end, Mildred and the rest of the crew were empathetic to her situation, powerfully “holding space” for Shirley. At the same time, they helped Shirley recognize her wrongdoings by encouraging her to let the speakeasy crew choose their own destinies in the outside world.

A moment of silence ensued; then, Mildred and Shirley burst into a duet, offering a satisfactory performance of “Make You Feel My Love.” As the song ended, the rest of the cast advanced outside the main stage onto the stairs, signaling their entrance into the outside world. The speakeasy members were too overjoyed to notice Shirley staying behind at the temple, but Annette swiftly turned back to wait for Shirley, who revealed her uncertainty of leaving the speakeasy, as it’s all she’s ever known—a nicely-integrated change from her usual outgoing character. Annette responded by attempting to fuel Shirley’s heart with determination to finally part ways with the corrupt speakeasy and become open to new adventures. Annette explained: “It’s time for us to beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past,” simultaneously attempting to insinuate that senior SING! was a certified rip-off of The Great Gatsby and comforting Shirley. 

Much to the audience’s bewilderment, Shirley and Annette burst into a duet continuing with “Make You Feel My Love,” the cast’s final song, showcasing their undeniable chemistry and singing talent. Their rendition of an already beautiful song was further complemented through combining their distinct voices; Shirley’s high pitched and confident tone combined with Annette’s soothing and calming counterpart provided a perfect balance. As a product of the scriptwriters’ exceptional prowesses, this sentimental moment provided the audience with necessary closure for the survival of Shirley and Annette relationship, as Annette—who arguably suffered the most under the brunt of Shirley’s manipulative tactics—forgave and even encouraged Shirley to leave with her.

As Annette and Shirley finished singing and held hands—bracing themselves to leave the temple together—Senior SING!’s ending spirit song, “Last Friday Night,” quickly followed; all crews danced and cheered on their last stage together. As the curtains closed and the crews said their melancholy goodbyes, their immense shouting, jumping, and passion only became more apparent, expressing the pride all crews had for their weeks of hard work. Of course, this pride was not in vain—Senior SING!’s cleverly-timed jokes, stellar acting performances, intricate band, memorable harmonies, and well-rounded crews were clearly winners, offering the Class of 2025 a landslide victory to remember the now-disbanded speakeasy by. After all, Shirley’s speakeasy might have been a temporarily-satisfactory and artificial community, but the genuine camaraderie cultivated during Senior SING! was a far more impressive achievement, reflected in their all-time record-breaking score of 2046—the highest raw score in modern SING! history.