Unlike Grasshopper, Abbot Cabaret did not include a specific theme, allowing performers to explore more creative and out of the box ideas and acts.
Douglas Yang ’20 smoothly mixed a Rubik’s cube, placed it under a box, and asked a volunteer from the audience to join him on the stage. He then handed the volunteer another cube to mix randomly. Yang then uncovered his original cube, revealing that his first cube and the volunteer’s cube were exactly identical. To end his performance, Yang opened the palm of his hand, displaying yet another identical mini cube. With this unanticipated trick, the room erupted in applause as the audience gave Yang a standing ovation.
Yang’s act was one of eighteen that performed at Abbot Cabaret last Saturday in Kemper Auditorium. According to audience member Loulou Sloss ’22, Yang’s performance especially stood out from the other performances for her.
“It was a nice divergence from the bands. When he got up on stage and said he was solving a Rubik’s cube, I was a little confused, but it turned into something very fun and lively. Each time you thought he was done with a trick, he added another step. That was the most impressive part for me. Involving the audience was also a nice touch,” explained Sloss.
According to Yang, this was his first time doing magic in a performance environment. Yang described the audience’s energy during his performance and their standing ovation following his last trick.
“I was really touched. I’m really really moved that people appreciate my magic. I always aim to bring my magical experience to people, and I’m really happy that it got through to them. It was surreal and so unexpected, because I didn’t think that they would have given me a standing ovation, but I’m really humbled,” said Yang.
Sofia Garcia ’21 performed twice, singing “Team” by Lorde with Keynotes and a solo piece titled “Wild Love” by James Bay while Reimi Kusaka ’21 accompanied her on the piano. Garcia commented on the positive reactions from the audience, explaining how the atmosphere of this year’s Abbot Cabaret differed from previous years.
“Usually [Abbot Cabaret] is not as packed as it has been, but I think that our incredible Co-Presidents and all the Blue Key Heads and everyone else involved did such a great job advertising it this year, so there were a lot of people. There were parents, there were students, and everybody had great energy. The room was buzzing, and I’m super grateful to everyone who showed up with the energy that they did,” said Garcia.
Han Chin Toh ’22 also performed twice, with Keynotes and then again with Downbeat, who sang “Come Along” by Cosmos Sheldrake. Toh compared the event to Grasshopper, Andover’s primary annual talent show.
“[For] Grasshopper, it has a theme every year. But for [Abbot Cabaret], you just audition and get to really be as creative as you want,” said Toh.
According to Garcia, Abbot Cabaret’s lack of theme was positive not only for performers, but for audience members as well.
“The nice thing about [Abbot Cabaret] is that we have the freedom to choose whatever we want, so all the groups end up coming up with insanely talented pieces and it’s really awesome to listen to everyone,” said Garcia.
