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Rabbot Cabaret: ‘RUNTELDAT’

Runteldat. (Run-tel-dat) A word used to express a feeling of pure excitement and joy. Thought to be invented in 1999 by Martin Lawrence, it was actually coined by Thomas Edison. When he saw the light radiating from his invention, he uttered the word “Runteldat.” Ever since that fateful day, it has been a word used by comedians, actors, and MC’s alike, including this year’s hosts of Rabbot Cabaret. During Saturday’s two performances of Rabbot Cabaret, hosts Derrick Kuan ’04 and Jason Townes-French ’04 kept the audience rolling in the aisles with their off-beat skits, while student artists participated in performances ranging from one-man bands to improv acts. The show consisted of 13 unique acts. The band “We Are Better than Y’all,” comprised of bass guitarists Nate Greenberg ’05 and Alex Malezomoff ’07, began the show, playing the theme song from “Power Rangers.” The act, with its quick tempo, was very original, consisting of only the two bass guitars. While it was not the highlight of the show, it was a truly unique and fun performance. Following “We Are Better” came PA’s rap-metal group, “Angkst,” whose intense performance prepared the audience for what was to come. David Coit ’04 introduced the song conducting a string quartet that consisted of Izzy Ritchie ’05, Jen Jhun ’04, Alex Chin ’05, and Kevin Gordon ’04. The six members of “Angkst,” shrouded in hoods, kneeled in dramatic anticipation of the imminent musical storm. When the rest of “Angskt” joined in following the intro, Kemper Auditorium exploded with sound. The song, “Cold,” written by band members Ben Lasman ’06 and Alex Malezomoff ’07, was a screamer, featuring frontman David Billingsley ’05 rapping and Lasman screaming. The energy in the piece was great, although the audience missed out on the lyrics, as the vocals were unable to punch through the blast of the instruments. However, “Cold” was one of the favorites of the audience, and set the tone for the rest of the show. “The Biddies” followed “Angkst” with a rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “Ironic.” The piece took the energy level down for a second and let the audience calm down to the sweet harmonies of Alanis. “The Biddies”, composed of Alison Wheeler ’05, Leila Adell ’05, Brittany Kaiser ’05, and Sarah Chang ’05 played very well. Although there were a few instrumental struggles and tempo kinks, the vocals, provided by Wheeler and Chang, were excellent. Despite a slight lack of energy, “Ironic” was a strong performance. The Class of 2005 was represented well in BHD & Me’s rendition of Third Eye Blind’s “Slow Motion.” What at first seemed a quiet and calm song soon turned out to be a violent story of death and drugs. The song was performed extremely well, with one of the night’s best performances on guitar. Nate Scott ’05 on vocals inspired awe with his voice. “Under the Bed,” the perennially hilarious improv troupe, cracked the audience up in their unique method of comedy. In one of the two performances, they incorporated everything from Michael Jackson to pediatric proctology to homicide. Funny? Yes. Controversial? Yes. Inappropriate? Perhaps. But boring? Never. Jumping back into the music, “Burnt Sienna” resumed with the Doobie Brothers’ “China Grove.” The sound of the Doobie Brothers was reproduced very well, and the up tempo rock beat was a great reintroduction to the music. Some great guitar playing and an outstanding solo from Jeff Tsai ’05 rocked Kemper. Like “Angkst,” the loud instrumentalists drowned out the vocals. One of the best voices on campus, that of Jeff Cutts ’05, was inaudible. Most of the band members of “Burnt Sienna” appeared in other acts, and for a good reason: they were outstanding. The piece, although it was well executed, did not quite stick out in the minds of the audience like some of the other performances. Overall, though, the energy of the song and of the performers kept it going. Next on the stage was a line of talented girls singing a cappella, as the girls of Azure performed their own version of the Etta James’ blues classic “At Last.” The bluesy harmony was fantastic, and the many solos allowed ever member of the group to display her talent.