Ten competitors, three judges, cool lighting and an extremely attractive yet corny host took to the Goldstein Auditorium stage Thursday night in what proved to be a surprisingly entertaining competition. No, it wasn’t a special Syracuse edition of ‘American Idol.’ It was the annual Campus Cabaret, the grueling face-off between the talent show victors from each Syracuse University residence hall.

The event, sponsored by the Residence Hall Association and the Student Events Office, was hosted by Student Association President Wayne Horton. Horton, clearly born to stand on a stage under a spotlight, introduced all the acts and raffled off a total of six orange RHA bags and $175 in gift certificates to the University Bookstore and the Carousel Mall.

Lindsay Smith, a sophomore fine arts major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, kicked off the cabaret with a pair of self-written songs sung to the tune of her acoustic guitar. Smith, a Sadler Hall resident, opened with a melancholy number that threatened to start the evening with less than a bang, but her second, more upbeat and appealingly pissed-off solo, ‘Save Me,’ did just that. The Kelly Clarkson-esque single elicited several healthy rounds of applause from the crowd and set the stage for the next two hours of singing, dancing, rapping and poetry reciting.

The four-man band of Clay Cox and the Heartbreakers, victors of Day Hall, crooned John Legend and jammed to the Commodores’ ‘Brick House’ in what host Horton deemed a ‘funky’ performance. A strong showing from the lighting crew added to the bands’ overall appeal, who exited stage right to thunderous applause.

Ebonie McArthur, an undecided freshman in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, offered a change of pace by reciting a sobering trifecta of original poems. McArthur’s performance, reminiscent of an ‘Above the Influence’ advertisement, centered on the cheerful topics of drug abuse, AIDS and domestic violence.

‘All my poems have a message,’ McArthur said. ‘So I want you to listen.’

McArthur’s lively delivery would have made Mary J. Blige proud, and she left to the earsplitting whistles from her Haven Hall fans.

The Lawrinson Hall envoy of Al Ortiz, Dave Nicolato and Tim Ahern aimed to lighten the mood by singing a country song about the same thing many country songs are about: being miserable. Texas native and front-man Ortiz crooned, ‘Syracuse by Morning’ and concluded by chucking his ten gallon cowboy hat into the enthusiastic crowd.

‘I hope y’all are enjoyin’ y’allselves,’ Ortiz said to the confusion of everyone raised north of the Mason Dixon line.

Everyone loves a good break dancer, and the Goldstein crowd was no exception as it roared its approval to the team of flipping, dancing and spinning co-eds from Brewster, Boland and Brockway Halls. Decked out in matching orange ‘State Prison’ and ‘Psych Ward’ T-shirts, Alex and the Phantom Rockers, a group of six, took turns spinning on their heads, back flipping across the stage and bending their elbows in directions no elbow is meant to bend. The obvious crowd favorites we’re deemed ‘rifreakingdiculous!,’ by several delighted audience members.

After a 10-minute intermission of unlimited free brownies, cookies,and drinks, the four-man band and defending Cabaret champions Magic Hour took the stage to defend their title. Led by vocalist Sterling Proffer, the talent show veterans and Shaw Hall delegates nailed their original song in a performance that rivaled that of Coldplay and Bright Eyes and left the audience screaming for an ‘encore!’

Magic Hour proved to be a tough act to follow, unfortunately for Peter Bukowski. Representing Booth, Kimmel, and Marion Halls, Bukowski attempted a solo from the hit broadway musical, ‘Rent’ without the aid of any background music. Bukowski’s rendition of ‘One Song Glory’ did nothing of the sort.

The Syracuse locals of Cerulean Blue took the stage for decent but predictable performance of a Pink Floyd hit. The Dellplain challengers relied on instrumentals and the creativity of the lighting crew, not that the audience noticed; the supportive crowd cheered enthusiastically despite a lack of credible vocals.

Flint Hall victors Eugene and Ricky got points for originality in an endearing combination of rapping and singing. No rap would be complete without a few Beyonce references and the pair didn’t disappoint. Eugene serenaded the clapping audience with a mouthful of rhymes while Ricky crooned more decipherable lyrics.

Jonathan Stark, a sophomore music industry major from Watson Hall, concluded the event with two John Mayer-esque solos.

The first, ‘Rebound Song,’ said Stark ‘Is about seeing a pretty girl at a bar … but I don’t know how it ends because I’m not old enough to get into bars yet.’

The cute and charmingly awkward Stark combined his skill on the guitar with his original voice to win the crowd over, and was a fitting end to the night showcasing considerable Syracuse talent.

Upon the end of the performers and the raffling of yet another unstylish RHA shoulder bag, Horton revealed the judges top three picks. The tumbling Phantom Rockers, rocking Magic Hour, and loveable Jonathan Stark were called back on stage, where Horton announced, in a very Ryan Seacrest manner, that the audience would choose the winner by way of thundering applause. Each act received deafening approval, but it was the four sophomores of Magic Hour that won the only standing ovation, and the Shaw Hall residents were declared the winner of the Campus Cabaret for the second year in a row.

The band, comprised of vocalist Sterling Proffer, guitarist Andrew Maury, drummer Tim Noble and Dan Zangari on the bass play locally, and their resume includes performances at Harry’s as well as upcoming shows in downtown Syracuse.

When asked if a record deal could be in the band’s future, frontman Proffer replied, ‘We’re just enjoying college and taking it one step at a time.’

Published on February 16, 2006 at 12:00 pm