A cappella group VoicePlay rocked the chapel on their visit to campus last week.
The concert on Thursday, Nov. 13, was a musical melody of vocal perfection. It opened with performances by Just Eve and WittMen Crew. Despite pitch pipe difficulties, the two a cappella groups got the crowd rowdy and ready for the main attraction.
VoicePlay opened its set with “Don’t Stop Me Now” by the rock band Queen. Driven by the power vocals of the tenor Earl Elkins Jr., the group had the audience mesmerized from the beginning, and it only went uphill from there.
Through the rest of the first act, VoicePlay incorporated a use of sketch comedy infused with covers of famous songs, such as a mash up of music from “The Lion King,” Neon Trees’ song “Animal,” and a countdown of their top 10 Broadway songs, with “Hello” from “The Book of Mormon” at number one. The audience laughed, danced and sang along with the performers.
During the second act, VoicePlay continued the high energy with a brilliant mash up of boy band songs, a serenade for an audience member, a tribute to Elvis, and its most famous and hilarious “The Chicken Song” skit, in which a rooster encounters different creatures and chases them around the stage. The audience roared with laughter, and people were still talking about it after the show.
Geoff Castellucci, the group’s bass, coordinated the skits, and did a beautiful job of putting on a show. Tony Wakim, a baritone, used his theatrical background to his advantage, and shined during “The Chicken Song.”
All the percussion sounds were courtesy of Layne Stein, who wowed the crowd with his vocal creativity and beat boxing. And second tenor Eliezer “Eli” Jacobson joined Elkins to add flair, comedy, and a tremendous vocal range to the group’s dynamics. The group was on season four of NBC’s musical competition show “The Sing Off,” and definitely utilized what they’d learned from performing for this show.
Overall, the show was phenomenal. The group knew how to put on a good show, incorporated jokes intended for the Springfield audience, and they really got everybody involved, asking them to sing along and clap their hands.
The next day, VoicePlay went above and beyond for Wittenberg. They offered a master class in the choir room for all who wanted to learn more about performing and the band. The group performed a few more songs for all in attendance, answered questions, and listened to Just Eve and WittMen Crew again, to give them feedback as a cappella groups.
The men were very informative, and the audience members all seemed to have a wonderful time getting one-on-one time with the group and singing along with “Don’t Stop Believing.” It was worth my time going to both, and I would love to see them live again, as they were excited to announce an upcoming tour in 2015. I know I will definitely be going!
