"Live, from Brandeis, it's Sunday Afternoon!"So started Manginah's eleventh annual Spring Alumni Show, which included both contemporary and old-fashioned Israeli songs, skits, spoofs and even a Hanukah-themed version of Outkast's "Hey Ya." The co-ed Jewish a cappella troop is preparing to record a new CD to be released this fall.

The first musical number, "Al Haritzpah," or "On the Floor," featured Yuval Brokman '08, sunglasses on and collar upturned, as the soloist. The group showed off its multifaceted arrangements, and the background voices sang in complex patterns that helped end the song with a chromatic cadence.

"Hamasa L'Eretz Yisrael," or "The Journey to Israel," was a sensitive, soft piece about the journey of Ethiopian Jews to Israel-featuring solos from Dorit Ingber '07 and Rachel Lehman '08. However, some of the songs, this number included, lacked substantial stage movements, creating situations in which the soloists seemed to stand awkwardly in front of the audience until they resumed singing. In addition, most songs suffered from a lack of forcefulness in the singing, partly because backup the vocalists were too overpowering.

Later came "Manginah Idol," an amusing skit mocking "American Idol." Three members took on the roles of Randy, Paula and Simon as they judged a beat-box version of Rahzel's "If Your Mother Only Knew."

Manginah certainly conveyed its creative side in the following skits and songs. Hillel Skolnik '06 sang a great lead and took some improvisational liberty with the big Israeli hit "Geula," by singer-songwriter Hemi Rudner. In the skit "The Real Rehearsal," members of the group simply froze as others stepped up to the microphone begging for a lead, criticizing and poking fun at each other.

The playful mood continued with a skit called "Manginah News," in which Brandeis supposedly begins a new initiative of creating multi-colored food trays at Sherman cafeteria to encourage students to sit with others who have trays of the same color. The satire progressed to an energetic performance of "Hanukah Hey Ya," followed by a gentle rendition of "Darkeinu" ("Our Way") and an engaging song called "Soulmate."

Yet the highlight of the show was "Behind the Music," a video clip spoofing VH1's Where Are They Now genre. The future for Manginah members seems to include a senatorial seat in Wyoming, medical corporations, janitorial work and occasionally bumming around and playing guitar.

Manginah ended its show with the catchy "Balbeli Oto," or "Confuse Him" and a tender rendition of the beautiful melody "Amen."

The show suffered from a lack of forceful singing and insufficient stage direction, but overall, Manginah performed a creative and entertaining show.