“Romance en Route” Northwestern’s Waa-Mu Show reviewed by Julia W. Rath

[rating=4]Cheery, light, and playful, the 92nd annual production of Northwestern University’s student talent show is a delight. “Romance en Route” is the title of this original romantic comedy, which takes the form of a musical, and is centered around Paris, the City of Lights, where romance is bound to happen anywhere and everywhere! According to the advance piece, “By a chance of fate, Eve and Xander sit next to each other on their flight from Chicago to Paris. Meanwhile, their significant others, Lexi and Jenna, are in Paris competing for a high-stakes promotion. Alongside Tristan, a flight attendant with his head in the clouds, and Matthieu, a hotel concierge and part-time cynic, the two couples meet in Paris and are forced to confront fears, doubts, and unavoidable conversations. Will they find themselves, and the love they deserve, before they return home?” Think of the TV program “The Love Boat”, where romance is in the air and where couples are brought together through all sorts of serendipitous circumstances. Even when things go wrong for the characters and we watch missteps and misunderstandings between them, we know that romance away from home has a certain magic to it. True to the genre, the performance confirms that everything that is amiss is bound to end happily.

Generically known as the Waa-Mu-Show, all aspects of production are handled entirely by college students. Johanna McKenzie Miller has done an impeccable job as its 2023 director, together with music supervisor Ryan T. Nelson. The production is a gigantic team effort (actually several teams), led by writing coordinators Lena Moore, Kailey Morand, and Reva Sangal; music directors Wes D’Alelio and Oliver Paddock; lead orchestrators Eric Powers and Sydney Astle; and music coordinator Avery Powers.

While all of these young people do a fantastic job on stage playing their characters with heart, I would like to point out Anna Rosenthal (the rambunctious Eve), with her stunning vocals, Matheus Barbee (as the enthusiastic Tristan); and Anand Choudhary (who perfectly channels Matthieu and who sings phenomenally). Those in starring roles with great voices also include Sophie Liu David (Lexi), Sami DeVries (Jenna), and Oliver Tam (Xander). Seventeen others also take the stage in various supporting roles.

The professionalism of the songwriting and the music cannot be excelled! While all the songs are lovely, some of my favorites include “Making Connections”, music by Sadie Fridley and Sydney Astle, lyrics by Mitchell Huntley and Samantha Miheve; “Paris: Your Music Is Magic to Me”, music by Eric Powers and Sydney Astle, lyrics by Maggie Munday Odom, Eric Powers, Mitchell Huntley, and Samantha Miheve; and “A Single Step”, music by Eric Powers, Wes D’Alelio, Reva Sangal, lyrics by Reva Sangal, Samantha Miheve, Sydney MacGilvray, Wes D’Alelio, and Eric Powers.

Since 1929, the Waa-Mu Show has been enthralling audiences while giving undergraduates the opportunity to write their own musical theatre. The self-described “quirky name” has to do with the “Waa” standing for Women’s Athletic Association and the “Mu” standing for Men’s Union. We all know that when men and women get together, well, what you have is romance, fun, and excitement! Now having said that, the show has had significant changes over its long history. “The show was traditionally a musical revue, consisting of Northwestern-inspired vignettes tied together by a theme. However, over the last decade, the Waa-Mu Show has evolved into an original full-length musical.” It has evolved in other ways too. Previously, I likened “Romance en Route” to the “Love Boat.” But when that TV program first made its debut in 1976, thoughts of love and romance were framed somewhat differently within mainstream society as compared to today. In the current production, expect to see sweet demonstrations of affection that run the gamut from straight to LGBTQ.

Set design by Nicholas Giap Lam works extremely well in giving the audience a sense of time and place throughout, in conjunction with lighting design by Alex Branka and Daniel McGrath’s sound design. Ashley Valent’s choreography is handled with aplomb. Nicely done is Paisley Kandler’s costume design, featuring garments that work well in the current era.

This performance, which follows the personal and professional lives of several couples, has some amazing five-star moments! Especially creative is the airplane scene which opens the show. It sets the ball in motion and helps familiarize us with several of the main characters and the creative aspects of their personality. The music is completely polished and meaningful, and the action moves smoothly from one scene to the next as the characters “journey through love, loss, heartbreak, and self-discovery…” While this student-run talent show contains a certain youthfulness and charm, it is nevertheless hard to imagine that the undergraduates who produced it were in high school just a few years ago. To think that they are now capable of taking on important leadership roles in fashioning their own musical production! The pleasant combination of acting, singing, music, and choreography raises a relatively simple script to a higher level, making “Romance en Route” well worth watching, especially if you like to see the burgeoning talents of young people.

“Romance en Route”, the 2023 Waa-Mu Show, is playing through May 7, 2023, at the Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson (at Sheridan Road), on the Evanston campus of Northwestern University.

Tickets: $10 to $30
A per ticket service charge will be added to all online ($3 per ticket) and phone ($2 per ticket) purchases.

Performance schedule:

Friday, 4/28 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 4/29 – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 4/30 – 2:00 p.m.

Friday, 5/5 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, 5/6 – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 5/7 – 2:00 p.m.

To purchase tickets, go to: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1128503 or you can go to The Wirtz Center Box Office, located in the Barber Theater lobby at 30 Arts Circle Drive.

For more information or to purchase a flex-pass or make a donation, go to: https://wirtz.northwestern.edu/waa-mu-show/. If you have additional questions, email their audience service team at wirtz@northwestern.edu or call 847-491-7282.

COVID requirements change from day to day. Masking is currently required throughout the Cahn Auditorium.