Singing surgeons, dancing doctors and pirouetting nurse practitioners were just a portion of the entertainers who headlined an “Evening of Cabaret” at the Yale School of Medicine Saturday night.
The Yale-New Haven Hospital Auxiliary presented a four-hour cabaret show to benefit the hospital’s Aortic Institute, showcasing the talents of medical workers, hospital business administrators and even the children of staff members.
For many performers, the evening provided a chance to rekindle an old passion for the performing arts.
“We all have things we do and sometimes you let them go to pursue a career, and it’s nice to work them back into your life,” said singer Dr. Marie Robert, a surgical pathologist and professor at the Medical School. “Like many doctors, I dabbled in the arts a bit before med school. I did a lot of musical theater.”
Dr. Sanziana Roman, a general surgeon with a background in opera, said she practiced with the Yale Medical Symphony Orchestra for weeks before the show to perfect their renditions of “Ach Ich Fuehl’s” from “The Magic Flute” and “Dove Sono” from “The Marriage of Figaro.”
For those unaffiliated with the medical school, one draw was the rare chance to see hospital workers shed their stethoscopes and lab coats to perform Caribbean storytelling, Dave Matthews covers and tap dances.
“It’s just interesting to see doctors as entertainers,” Melanie Morten GRD ’13, an economics student, said. “There’s just been so much diverse musical talent. I’m pleasantly surprised.”
But though the performers were off duty, audience members still heard their fair share of hospital jokes.
Dr. Peter Herbert, the Yale New Haven Health System chief of staff and senior vice president for medical affairs, opened the show with a few medical jokes. He noted that it is best to take a trip before getting a check up, since airport security will not only give you an X-ray but also a breast examination and possibly a colonoscopy if you mention al-Qaeda.
Over 20 individuals and groups comprising Yale-New Haven employees and family members performed.