Courtesy of Melany Pérez

The Yale Artists Cabaret held their fifth show at the Off Broadway Theater on Friday night, featuring a musical medley of songs that are usually performed at the climax of Broadway shows.

Co-directors Soleil Singh ’24 and Lauren Marut ’25 selected the performers, songs and lighting for the two cabaret showings at 8 p.m. and at 10 p.m. on Friday. The performances showcased “11 o’clock numbers” — show-stopping pieces that are positioned toward the end of musical theater performances. The two shows consisted of 17 performances each, with a surprise song, called “Goodbye,” to close the curtain. 

“I truly think that in this setlist, every number stands on its own,” said producer Abby Asmuth ’26, who is a WKND editor for the News. “Every number will leave people in awe.”

While other shows take performers weeks to learn music, choreography and logistics, Marut said that she and Singh focused on making “the best use of everyone’s time.” The entire rehearsal process consisted of two commitments for the performers before the show: a sing through and the dress rehearsal.

At the show, the audience was greeted by assistant director Benjamin Jimenez ’26 and Asmuth who were serving mocktails called the “Spotlight Spritz” and the “Curtain Call.” Meanwhile, a timer on the back wall counted down the last 10 minutes until the performance.

“This was a theme that was bound to happen,” said Singh. “We couldn’t go through all of our seasons at YAC without including iconic songs like ‘Being Alive.’ We wanted to pick the right time for it, and there was no better way to start our senior year.” 

Marut and Singh opened the show, singing “Raise the Roof,” a piece that highlighted their dynamic voices and work as collaborators. The audience was immediately engaged, waving their hands and yelling out praises to Marut and Singh. 

Following the opening number, “Ex-Wives,” which starred six performers, was one of the larger groups YAC has had perform in a show. Katia George’s ’25 choreography highlighted the collaboration between the performers and the moves reflecting the characters from the musical “SIX,” which is about the six wives of Henry VIII. Each performer also had a solo moment in the song.

Asmuth said that YAC is successful in capturing the duality of collaboration among a group and celebration of the individual, so that “everyone gets their moment” without the “hierarchy” that typically exists among the ensemble and leads. 

“I haven’t been to another performance on campus that has the same atmosphere,” said Xavier Blackwell-Lipkind ’24, who attended the show. “There was an incredible feeling of support, with people screaming out the names of performers and cheering for them, which is to the credit of the YAC team. They care to present the show as a concert space and not a traditional musical theater performance. It empowers people to participate vocally in the experience.”

While each piece was an “11 o’clock number,” the anticipation echoed by the title “10:59” never dissipated. As for the ordering and pacing of the songs, Marut said that they wanted to draw in the audience with a “big number,” followed by several more quiet songs while they still had the audience’s attention. 

After these softer and more reflective numbers, they introduced songs such as “Crazy Rolling” and “Too Late to Turn Back Now” that “ramped up the energy,” Marut said. 

According to Asmuth, in addition to their singing, the performers’ acting abilities also contributed to the audience’s excitement. 

“The performers act and bring all of the emotion and the tension of the songs,” said Asmuth.

When Benjamin Jimenez performed “Good Kid,” some audience members yelled out “Yes acting!” and “Ok, drama!” 

Sadie Pohl’s ’26 rendition of “Roxie” and Taylor Robin’s ’24 “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” also earned praise and positive commentary from the crowd.

In addition to directing, Marut also designed the lighting for “10:59,” which changed multiple times during a single song. 

“The amount of work that Lauren put into production was amazing,” co-director and best friend Singh said. “She was in the theater on Thursday night, the night before the show. The lights looked beautiful, and yet she wanted to add more. She stayed in the theater for three more hours after dress rehearsal to add extra cues, because that’s how much she cared about making the visual spectacle of the show as exciting as the songs are.” 

In preparation for graduation, the co-directors told the News that they have begun to grow the YAC team to keep the organization alive after their time at Yale ends. Marut and Singh said that they will be co-leading their next show with Asmuth and Jimenez.

Marut and Singh concluded the performance with a bittersweet rendition of “Goodbye” from the musical, “Catch Me If You Can.”

 “I hope [the audience] left feeling excited to see what’s next,” said Marut.  

“10:59” kicked off YAC’s third season.