The cafeteria was jumping, jiving, and wailing this Wednesday at Mesa’s Cabaret Night.

The night started off with the all-girls Vocal Ensemble singing “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” Mr. Lindfors directed the choir while Mr. Wilhoit played the piano for it. The girls were all dressed in black and white clothing.

Following the Vocal Ensemble was the Jazz Band with the song “Ain’t Misbehavin’” which had a saxophone solo from Junior Alexis Amaya.

Next was the Concert Choir. They performed two songs, called “River in Judge” and “Bye Bye Blackbird.” Mr. Lindfors also announced that for the first time in 15 years, Concert Choir was performing with a four-part harmony.

Jazz band came back with the song “Sidewinder” which had two soloists, Amaya on the saxophone again and Senior Everett Brown on the trumpet.

Then it was again time for the vocal ensemble that walked in with flowers in their hands to the beat of a traditional wedding tune. The song “Keep My Love Alive” started as a normal love song, but as it progressed, the lyrics were of a woman killing her various husbands. After the song, they began “Blue Skies” which featured soloist Mary Raus.

Jazz band played the song “Witchcraft” before the Madrigal Choir came out singing “Banana Split for My Baby.” It was sung by all the boys with solos by Kory Bennion, Drake Martinez, and Chris Henriquez. The song ended with the girls slapping their male partners because they had left them paying for the expensive ice cream the boy had ordered them. 

The boys of the choir then walked out allowing the girls to begin “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter.” Sisters Summer Rudas and Ciara Rudas came up to sing the solos for the song.

Jazz band played yet another song called “That’s Cool!” which had four different soloists: Amaya and Olivia LeValley both on the saxophone, Brown on the trumpet, and Edwin Quevedo on the trombone.

The next song “Over the Rainbow” had many “oohs” and “aahs” from the singers as Martinez sang on the microphone. Then the song “Jump, Jive, and Wail” came with a faster beat and it had them clapping. Bennion and Adriana Rodriguez both sang solos for this song.

Jazz band began playing again and Mr. Lindfors and Ms. Gilboe welcomed the audience to dance in front of the stage while the band played. No one was dancing at first but the Madrigal Choir came out and began dancing with other members of the choir. Some of the choir members like Alyssa Hatton and Bennion danced with their parents while the songs played.

The Madrigal Choir performed their last song “The Storm is Passing Over” and then came the last song where both the choirs and the Jazz Band would perform “Orange Colored Sky.”

Students gather in Mr. Abuel’s class (room 117) daily to play the card game known as Magic: The Gathering.For those who are not familiar with the game, Magic: The Gathering is a strategy card-game that was created in 1993, and now has a loyal international fan base of 12 million players. The game has thousands of unique cards, as well as a multitude of strategies and play styles. It can be readily played with two or more players, making it easy to pick up and play quickly.  

Walking into Room 107,  about 15 players can usually be seen gathered around a table in the corner of the room, playing throughout the duration of lunch.  Even though some of the players around the table are part of Mesa’s Gamer’s Club (formerly Magic Club), they say there is no affiliation to the club.  The group has a sense of casualness as players make a move and then take a bite from their lunches.

The level of experience among the players varies, from starters like Drake Martinez and Michael Panh who have only been playing for 6 months, to veterans like Matt Morgan and Richard Carmody who have been playing for around 8 years.  

Competitiveness also varies among the crowd. Jahir Lopez said “I play tournaments all the time,” while other players around the table stated that they only played recreationally.  

Large decks and boxes of cards sit on the table beside the players. Tin Truong, who has been playing for about 2 years, has amassed a collection of more than 500 cards, but Joe Williams is generally accepted as having the most cards.  

When asked about how the group started, Richard Carmody, remembers originally playing during their Freshman and Sophomore years with a much smaller group that included Joseph Rouintree, Matt Morgan, Joe Williams, and Jamon Chalberg.  Eventually more and more people got interested in the game and joined.  In all, the group welcomes anybody who wants to sit down and have a good time playing a game of Magic.   

As all of the attendees of the musical got into their appropriate seats, they began murmuring as they continued to wait in anticipation for the start of "Urinetown - The Musical".

As the clock hit 10 minutes past seven, the lights began to dim and the audience ceased to talk, as Mrs. Paladino, the Drama Director of Costa Mesa High School, started the event off with an introduction to the play.

In due time, the lights completely darkened as "Urinetown-The Musical" began. The musical began with a brief intro by Joe Williams, who plays the narrator, Officer Lockstock, and Summer Rudas, who is in charge of the role of Little Sally. Both actors introduced the audience to the main plot line which took place in a setting where through twenty years of drought have left the people crazy for water.

The introduction was followed by a brief song that was sung by most of the actors called "Urinetown". When the first song of the musical ended, the audience clapped and awaited the next song of the night.

As the musical moved on, it produced some chuckles and laughter as some of the songs gave off a humorous atmosphere. In the second song of the day, "Privilege to Pee", listeners were amused at the lyrics sung and gave off a couple of laughs here and there. But the main singer of the song, Hayley Smith, who played Penny Pennywise in the musical, attracted the attention of everyone in the lyceum as she sang a beautiful melody for all to hear.

"Don't Be the Bunny" also got some laughs as Kyle Whiteside, playing the role of Caldwell B. Cladwell, and those supporting him as his staff, danced around the stage like a bunch of bunnies.

After a stand-off where all actors began a slow-motion fight, the narrator, Officer Lockstock informed the crowd that it was time for intermission, marking the end of Act One of the Urinetown.     

All of the songs and dancing in the musical were done excellently, and all of the actors who performed should be congratulated for their effort in entertaining those watching. Humor was one of the play's strong points as it produced much laughter and humor throughout the musical. The acting was excellent too, as all actors kept their composure and managed to pull off line after line putting much emotion into their roles.

Toward the end of the musical, as all actors stepped out and bowed before a cheering crowd, Kory Bennion, who played Bobby Strong, revealed that it was Mrs. Paladino's Birthday, on Friday night's production. Everyone then proceeded to sing "Happy Birthday", as Mrs. Paladino walked up to the stage to mark the end of a successful night.    

The audience then filed out of the lyceum and began to converse with all of the actors, giving them their congratulations. All in all this was a very entertaining play and is a must-watch for all of those that like a good laugh as well as a catchy tune.