On Saturday, May 8, a medley of superheroes filled the Golding Auditorium. Although their superhero powers were questionable, the members of Rather Be Giraffes most definitely proved themselves not only as respectable singers but also as exquisite entertainers with lots of pep and quirks. At first, the audience was amused by the variety of costumes as the group hustled into the classroom-style auditorium. With a dusty blackboard with chalk drawings depicting a courtroom in the background, the singers in mismatched outfits beamed with great anticipation to conclude RBG's year, which was filled with exceptional performances and lasting, unforgettable memories with its graduating seniors. After the brief introduction that consisted of a Nickelodeon medley, the judge (Talya Davidoff '11), dressed in her black robe and white wig, began the session by declaring, "Order, order! Court is now in session! I will now hear the civil disputes surrounding the superheroes in the consortium named RBG: Rag-tag Bunch of Guardians." Upon hearing the absurd alternative meaning of the acronym, the audience released a few giggles. According to the judge, the superheroes of RBG were appearing in the court to resolve a number of disputes within the group.

With that said, the first case involved No-Pants McGanse and Hobo, played by Jordan Talan '12 and David Frederick '11, respectively. Their conflict resulted from Hobo's natural tendency to collect anything the other heroes threw away and McGanse's ability to send his pants wherever he wants. McGanse yelled in contempt, arguing that despite how his pants could "make the world a better place, ... fight crime ... [and] feed the hungry," recently they could never go anywhere he wanted them to because "this mangy bum has been intercepting [his] pants." After presenting the scenario, McGanse complained, "How am I supposed to wear my suit without my pants? ... It's enough to make me want to start a riot." Not surprisingly, the group went on to sing its first song, "Zoot Suit Riot" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies, a '90s punk, jazz, funk and ska band. Swinging to the beat, the group successfully recreated the song with added comedic details in the performance. After McGanse's solo performance, Hobo spread his arms out and begged for the audience's sympathy: "I'm a Hobo! I don't mean to make trouble, but I'm all about making things simple," and began singing "Easy" by The Commodores.

The next case presented Anton McSyrup (Ben Oehlkers '12), a prizefighter who sweats syrup, and Aunt Jemima (Colleen Troy '12), who claimed McSyrup as her painstakingly executed creation and simply wanted to "put Anton McSyrup in a cage, make him run on a treadmill 31 hours a day, bottle his sweat and sell it for a profit." However, Jemima admitted a crucial fact: "Every time I'm near him my heart goes all aflutter until I make some waffles." The two sang "Return to Pooh Corner" by Kenny Loggins and "Breathless" by Corinne Bailey Rae, feeding the audience with soulful melody and delightful harmony. Following after the duo were Jimothy Clean Jr. (Savannah Wallace '13) and Francisco Fernando Filth (Sophie Golomb '13) complaining about each other's overly enforced cleanliness or complete lack thereof, each singing "Other Side of the World" by KT Tunstall and "Scar" by Missy Higgins.

The next case introduced Corporal Flex (Jeremy Weinberg '12), who filed a restraining order against Beatrice Withers (Marti Dembowitz '10), who purposely put herself in dangerous situations for Flex to waste his strength to rescue her from "a lion's den, an active volcano and the mythical underwater city of Atlantis." Flex confessed that every time he uses his power, he hears the song "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" in his head, at which everyone gasped. Flex sang "National Express" by The Divine Comedy, with the group lined up in two rows to represent a train.

After cutting to the chase and singing "Crayola Doesn't Make a Color for Your Eyes," soloed by both Elena Korn '13 and Christy Kang '13, the next case involved determining the right to the throne of the land of Nod between Pillow King (Ryan Heisler '10) and Countess (Rachel Copel '11). After Heisler's solo of "The Way" by Fastball, Lady Cattitude (Lynda Bachman '10) rocked "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers. After striking dramatic cat poses, Bachman left the scene for Droopid (Debra Fricano '10) to tell the audience that although she dreamed of becoming like Cupid and shooting happiness-inducing arrows, she has turned people to be apathetic instead, singing "Never Had a Dream Come True" by S Club 7. The following solo of "Flagpole Sitta" sung by Dr. Baguette (Elana Sandler '10) produced an explosive reaction from the audience: She walked down the aisles to serenade and surprise audience members while maintaining a dramatic tone during the song. The act concluded with Dembowitz's solo of "Somebody to Love" by Queen, explaining to the audience that the old Beatrice Withers just wanted to be remembered and loved. After the official act, the nongraduating members of the group gave a custom-designed memory box to each graduating senior and sang them a farewell song while emphasizing the newbies' chance for "singing [their] solos."

Overall, the performance was successful not only because each member was multitalented but also because the group was visibly united and enthusiastic, which graduating seniors Bachman and Fricano agreed were among the group's greatest strengths. The group devotes seven hours per week to rehearsals and carefully chooses songs that best highlight the soloists' voices and styles. With no genre restrictions, the group's current repertoire is, according to Bachman, "a pretty eclectic mix of musical genres with lots of '90s and modern rock/pop/indie and a little bit of the '70s."

Fricano explained with great fondness and love for the group: "With a name that is a grammatical anomaly and makes reference to a tall, fuzzy, peaceful creature, how could we not be weird? ... RBG was founded on [the] principle of being different than the norm, and staying strong-having fun by doing our own thing-and I think that that comes across. . We are legitimately having fun with each other making music. Before performances, we promise to have fun with each other and to share that with the audience. When people show up to see our shows, it is always a pleasant surprise. ... To impress the musically proficient or entertain the average ear-it's so rewarding!