by Kristina Curkovic
Seeking relief from the endofterm onslaught of stress, students filled the Michigan Theater Saturday night to watch their peers perform. The Friars, along with 58 Greene and the UM Dance Team, dazzled the crowd with surprisingly entertaining and talented performances.
The Friars are an a cappella group composed this year of eight men the "most eligible men on campus," according to University lore. The group supplements their talented singing with crowdpleasing props, dancing, and kooky acting. The crowd favorites Saturday night included the "Masochism Tango" and a particularly moving rendition of James Taylor's "Carolina," along with a number of other fun tunes that took our minds off of looming finals. The Friars are also popular for their hilarious antics, and this performance was no exception. It included a striptease act, the throwing of large, autographed briefs into the crowd, and very funny choreography to accent hilarious songs.
While The Friars were the mainstay of the show, the increasingly popular a cappella group 58 Greene provided a few impressive renditions of popular songs. Especially impressive was the soloist during the performance of Jewel's "Foolish Game."
The evening was actually introduced by the UM Dance Team, an uninspiring collection of women whose performance was lessthanexciting. While they could have tried out for Star Search, the group resembled a high school cheerleading squad instead of a heartpounding dance troupe.
Still, the most anticipated feature of the evening was far from disappointing. Who knew that watching one's classmates could be such a treat? The Friars won the crowd yet again with their talent and antics. Always an entertaining group, The Friars are consistently a treat - with or without finals.
Kristina Curkovic is a Senior majoring in English and Linguistics and is the Arts Editor of the Review. She only sings in the shower.