Program Council spotlights sultry singers in cabaret show

“You are here to be provoked, and we are here to beprovocative.”

This was the opening line of Program Council’s sexycabaret show “Sizzle.” The show, which took place inthe Hughes-Trigg Varsity, was a tantalizing showcase of singing,dancing and acting performed by SMU students clad in fishnets andbustiers.

The room was dark and intimate, and the cast interacted with theaudience, serving drinks, holding cigarettes and making playful,coy conversation. The dim lights and dark tablecloths gave a smoky,sexy feel to the Varsity, an otherwise chatty eating area oncampus. However, the hissing from the cast members drove away manythoughts of clanging silverware.

Jessica Ortiz, the chairwoman of Program Council’sPerforming and Visual Arts Committee and director of”Sizzle,” said that she wanted to do a show thissemester that would be easy to rehearse and would grab theattention of SMU students. One of her friends in high school haddone a cabaret show similar to “Sizzle.”

“It all started when I was in my car this summer singingto the radio,” said Ortiz, a sophomore English major.

The cast members auditioned in early October and have beenrehearsing ever since. Many audience members agree that the showwas well put together.

“They put a lot of hard work into it, and it really showedthrough,” said junior broadcast journalism and psychologymajor Lynnsey Ross.

Songs from “Sizzle” included “Cabaret,””Roxie,” “Seasons of Love” and many othertunes from Chicago and Cabaret that featured solo and duetperformers. The show also featured scenes from Monty Python,Eve’s Bayou, and The Women. The show ended with a groupnumber “All That Jazz” from Chicago, which featured theentire cast.

“You normally don’t get to do something like this.[Here] you get to let loose and show what you’ve got,”said Erin Littlestar, a cast member and sophomore film major.

“Sizzle” also gave opportunities to showcase somecast members’ creativity. Sophomore philosophy and film majorNicolette Ocheltree served as the stage manager, introducing theshow and individual acts. She wrote and performed the beginningmonologue as well as the rest of her lines throughout the show. Butto Ocheltree, her participation in the show wasn’t only aboutwriting and performing.

“I got in touch with my feminine side. I learned to walkin high heels,” Ocheltree said.

The cast of “Sizzle” will perform a second show at7:30 p.m. on Friday in the Hughes-Trigg Varsity. Admission isfree.