As I settled into my seat in the Carl J. Shapiro Theater last Sunday, images of past Rather Be Giraffes memories played across the large projection screen-from previous performances to behind the scene moments. The coed a cappella group also played songs from their album, mostly featuring songs from last year. As I heard "The General" by Dispatch playing, it reminded me of RBG shows I saw last year and immediately put me in an a cappella mindset. The show this semester was called Rather Be Giraffes Travels Through Time, in honor of its 10th anniversary as a group.

The show began with the three new members, Ryan Mulvihill-Pretak '16, Kyle Davis '16 and Dani Glasgow '16, standing apart from the rest of the group. As part of their initiation, they were tasked with finding their lost mascot, Roxy the Giraffe. Somehow, they stumbled upon a time machine equipped with pop culture objects that allowed them to travel to any time period. With each time period that they visited, they met a different member of RBG. The theme behind each character was cleverly related and integrated into the song that each member had a solo in. 

Not only can the 13 members of RBG belt out some great tunes, but their short skits were also creatively written and provided for smooth transitions between unrelated songs. After having heard RBG perform several times at coffeehouses and in Cholmondeley's, I found it pleasant to hear them perform in an actual theater with better acoustics and a real stage. Additionally, several of the members performed different songs than they did last year, allowing the singers to show off more of their vocal prowess. 

Last year, Deanna Heller '15 performed "Bulletproof" by La Roux, but this year, she sang "Love, Save the Empty" by Erin McCarley. I thought this song better showed off Heller's range and beautiful voice, and her voice sounded stronger and more confident. Her character was Cindy-Lou Who, agreeing to join the time travelers because the Grinch stole the Christmas presents, just like in the famous movie. Allen Ganjei '15 next performed "Bones," originally by The Killers, dressed as Harry Potter. I could not have imagined a better performance from his character impersonation to his pitch. Ganjei had also improved his performance of "Bones" since the last time I heard him perform, so I enjoyed hearing one of my favorite songs with an RBG, a cappella-style twist. 

In the final song of the first act, Nicole Wittels '15 performed "Some Nights" by Fun., the main act at SpringFest last year. After hearing Wittels in a few musicals as a supporting role over the past year, I thought it was a nice change to hear her individual voice leading the group in a popular, catchy song. 

The next act featured four more songs soloed by Kate Davis '14, Dillon Fleming '14, Karan Malik '15 and Sophie Golomb '13. Davis has been performing "That Man" by Caro Emerald since the first time I heard RBG perform last year, but this was the best version I've heard her sing thus far because of her powerful voice. 

At the end of the show, the three first-years found Roxy and the rest of RBG revealed the true reason for their quest: each character they encountered represented the theme of a past RBG semester show, from Harry Potter to Disney princesses theme. In light of the group's 10th anniversary, the allusions to past shows represented the history of RBG in a creative fashion. 

Another interesting aspect of the 10th anniversary show was the guest appearances of alumni group members. At the very end of the show, both current members and alumni all went on stage and performed "'Til I Hear It From You" by Gin Blossoms. It may not have been the best performance of the night, but the group camaraderie made up for the lack of vocal unison. Once again, RBG delivered a fun-filled, entertaining performance that showed off the diverse talents of each member.
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