The mood was fun and the talent electric when The Brandeis Players publicized their show The Tale of The Allergist's Wife Tuesday night at Cholmondelys. The show gave Brandeis students a treat with a set by campus band Ghost Head Nebula, a string of guitar solos by cast member Rebecca Katz, and finally a performance by two of Brandeis' most prolific a cappella groups: Up the Octave and VoiceMale.
The show was an amazing display of talent. The comedic styling of Rebecca Kutlicky '04 in between-and sometimes during-the four-part show was uplifting. But this night was ruled by the musicians, and they certainly did not disappoint.Ghost Head Nebula, the stage name of the punchy guitarist duo Evan Cohen '05 and Yoni Samlan '05 enjoyed a less than packed house as they opened the show with a great set of original songs. Although the duet was playing to a pair of fans, both of whom exclaimed, "I love this song!" before each piece, the distinct guitar playing and performance held the attention of the few present throughout their set. Cohen, who provided the vocals throughout the seven piece set, sang with a husk reminiscent of Gavin Rossdale of Bush. This similarity was most prominent on "Lead into Focus." However, even the best of it was without tone, causing the entire set to be flat, especially Samlan's falsetto on "Lullaby (To A Falling Star)," which gave evidence of a great deal of improvement that the band required. Even the duet's self entitled hit single, "When the Snow Comes," left a great deal to be desired in the already lacking department of vocals.

It was "Bullet Proof Angels" that saved the set, a great compilation of Dave Matthews' "Satellite"-era style like guitar strumming and Cohen's best lyrics, that ended the Nebula's set with a bang.

Next up was Rebecca Katz '04, who, with a hilarious introduction by Kotlicky, launched the growing audience into a half hour of harmonious magic. "Sing along unless... (Long pause) you don't like the spotlight or something," Katz encouraged.

Other than a somewhat sophomoric cover of Radiohead's "High and Dry," featuring Company B's maverick tenor Marc Lipman, the entire set was moving. From an awesome rendition of "Save Tonight" by Black Eye Cherry in 3/4 time, to "Paradise," a beautiful original song by Katz the set gave the increasing crowd a performance to savor.
Up The Octave was soon to follow with their semester debut, featuring one returning member, Na Young Kim and two new debut songs. As always, this group was a crowd pleaser with their soulful singing and gorgeous members.

The presence of Up the Octave's talented songstress Afton Cyrus and her solo in the a cappella rendition of "Lights" was no exception. Capturing sultry crescendos and magnificent transitions, UTO's hard work paid off on this group's perennial favorite.
Another talented member was Emily Aronoff '07, whose poignant cover of Ani DiFranco's "Building and Bridges" wove together the group's harmony extremely well. While overcoming obvious anxiety at the daunting task of her first solo, she managed to make a beautiful capture of DiFranco's characteristic sensuality.

Other memorable solos included a sexy cover of Savage Garden's "The Lover After Me" by Beneti Vitta '06, and a beautiful "Dock Of The Bay" Otis Reading cover sung by Courtney Whytes '05.

UTO's performance finished with a harmonious piece by Sharon Barr '04 that, while not quite coordinated within the group, left a lasting impression of the voices of the girls in the group.

As is Characteristic of VoiceMale performances, the lights lowered, and the crowd hushed for this Brandeis legend. VoiceMale's members, having just returned from their North American tour, debuted this semester at the Brandeis Player's coffeehouse with a power that could only be described as intoxicating.

"Oh and by the way, I'm really drunk... I can't wait for the Justice review of this," Drew Cohen '05 said.

Although proclaiming his inebriation, Cohen and the rest of VoiceMale gave an ebullient rendition of several older songs and some new, including a brand new solo by Eli Schneider '06 of Phil Collins' "Can't Stop loving you."

The VoiceMale gentlemen came on stage, replete with beer cooler and smug grins, to give a startling, yet excellent performance. Evan Greene '04 sang his crowd favorite Weird Al song, Jon Weinstein '07 sang his crowd pleaser "Under the Boardwalk," and Ben "Speedy" Sherman '05 professed about his trip to Canada. All in all, VoiceMale seemed to have more fun than the crowd.

Yet we all realized why VoiceMale is regarded as Brandeis' finest after Cohen performed a solo of "Have a Little Faith in Me," originally by Jon Hyatt. His beautiful baritone brought the crowd home and finished up the show.