It’s the most wonderful time of the semester.
Every Rutgers student is filled with the holiday spirit, and good cheer is in the air. There is peace on earth and good will toward man. I’m talking, of course, about the funniest show of Cabaret’s season, Rutgers Night Live! (The theme has nothing to do with Christmas, but the warmth that RNL brings to all of our hearts is totally comparable to the warmth of the holidays).
RNLXXIII: The Plot Thickens features a stacked cast of some of the silliest people on campus. Though the cast is slightly smaller than it’s been in recent RNLs, the goofiness meter remains as through-the-roof as ever, proving that size really doesn’t matter.
Of course, no RNL is complete without a charismatic host that knows how to get the house going, and this semester’s host, Adeel Yaqoob, goes above and beyond. Adeel delivers a hilarious opening monologue that talks about everything from the football team’s insane DoorDash budget, to the eeriness of the new Rutgers Pride Bus, to his own recent indoctrination into the world of theater kids (CRINGE). I should also mention, my friends, that Adeel almost made the writer of this blog pee themselves during one of the first sketches he’s in. He also (spoilers) crushes it in the role of a surgery patient in the very first sketch.
“[The opening monologue] is scary because you don’t know until you get a real audience if it’s gonna be garbage or not.”
It goes without mention that sketches themselves are silly and goofy and funny-haha. I mean this in the best way possible- this RNL is truly a night of random-equals-funny. One standout amongst the selection of sketches that best exemplifies this is the very last sketch, entitled, “Lustful Scandals, Season 2”, which, from what I’ve been told, is a much-anticipated sequel to an RNL sketch from last fall. Let me tell you, I didn’t know what on earth was going on during this one, but it was one of my favorites. The actors get to be absolutely unhinged for four-ish minutes and it’s just epic to witness.
Oh, also, there are a surprising number of animal-related sketches in this RNL… by which I mean there are two. Not much else to say about that, I just thought it was worth pointing out. I won’t say too much so as to avoid spoiling the bit, but one RNL performer makes an appearance as a four-hoofed majestic beast that I know everyone is going to lose their minds over.
Jokes aside, it’s apparent that this show was assembled by a team of leaders that are passionate about creating an unforgettable night of fun and laughs. I spoke with RNL coordinator Ezana Negash about his experience with putting together this production, and his dedication showed through the way he talked so enthusiastically about the work he’d done.
“I’d say the process has been a bit of a roller coaster... The best way I can put it is “good stress”, because it’s a stress out of passion... I want to make this as perfect as I can.”
When I asked Ezana about what parts of the show he was most excited for people to see, he gave me the inside scoop on one of the funniest sketches in the show, “Gorilla Gram”, which, it turns out, originated in an unexpected way.
“I’m excited for “Gorilla Gram”... The writer of the sketch, he wrote it as part of a play that was a lot more dramatic and had darker tones... It was a very challenging script to really find the funny bits in, and really exemplify them, so I’m excited to see how that turns out.”
I for one would have had absolutely no clue that this sketch was originally meant to be a drama because it’s… well, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself, but it’s absurd.
One of the highlights of every RNL is the musical guest, and this semester is no different! The New Brunswick-based band Objective: Joyride brings the house down with an awesome setlist brought to life by its insanely talented members. There’s also an epic song selection midway through their set that will be entertaining to anyone who’s been on Twitter in the last month. If a joyful ride was this band’s goal, well, I’d say they achieved their objective.
I personally can’t wait for the midnight show for this round of RNL. I just know that the chaos is going to be amplified ten times over, and I can’t wait to see how the cast feeds off of the reactions from the audience, and vice-versa. Host Adeel Yaqoob feels the same way!
“I’m looking forward to the midnight show. The last time I performed in one was Fall 2019... Midnight shows are always fun, people always talk about midnight shows. So I’m excited to feel it again after, like, three years!... [The audience is] gonna be in the best state of mind. Let’s just say that.”
Regardless of which performance you attend, though, I guarantee you’ll have a rip-roarin’ time. So what are you waiting for?? Get yer butt to Cabaret Theatre this weekend to see RNL XXIII: The Plot Thickens!
RNL XXIII: The Plot Thickens plays this weekend at Cabaret Theatre, with performance dates and times as follows:
Friday, October 7th, 2022 at 8:00pm
Saturday, October 8th, 2022 at 8:00pm and 11:59pm
