Where do you go if you want to tap your feet to Disney Channel hits, hear your favorite song from “Heathers” and refresh your memory before the next “Wicked” movie? A Broken Legs performance, of course! At its fall concert, theater kid energy was not only abundant, but shared between group members and the audience. 

 On Saturday evening, after a lively opening performance from Pep Band — including an upbeat cover of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” — the Broken Legs, Kenyon’s musical theater-focused a cappella group, took the stage for its fall concert. The group immediately dove into Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” complete with four soloists. After the first song, co-President Grace Randall ’26, who arranged a few songs on the set list and stood at the end of the horseshoe formation to conduct the group, quickly thanked audience members for joining before the group started on their next piece: “Love Like You” from Steven Universe. Nico Galbreath ’28 led the group with a captivating and heartfelt solo that only uplifted the nostalgic song choice and soothing harmonies from the rest of the singers. 

 Some memorable pieces from the first half of the show were those that not only showcased excellent voices, but also demonstrated the “Blegs’” acting ability. Nadya Matish ’27 embodied the paranoid yet sincere quality of “When He Sees Me” from Waitress; in her solo for “Can’t Stop Singing” from “Teen Beach Movie,” Liz Teleisha ’27 captured the song’s frantic energy; Rachel Zarkowsky ’28 sang a spellbinding rendition of “Kindergarten Boyfriend” from “Heathers.” 

 Zarkowsky, who serves as the assistant music director for the Broken Legs, spoke to the Collegian the day before the show about the process of choosing some of these songs: “At the start of the semester, we get pitches from each [member],” she explained, “[The two assistant music directors,
the music director, and
the two presidents] meet after the pitch day and we build the set list — we want a wide range of the years that the musicals came out, and a wide range of different themes [and tempos] of the songs.” 

After “Kindergarten Boyfriend,” co-President Soren Roeser ’26 went over the past three songs and their soloists — a recap that occurred every few songs — before turning to the topic of the “Newbie Song,” a Broken Legs tradition in which the new members of the group choose and rehearse a song to perform at the concert. The catch? The veteran Broken Legs don’t know what the song is until it’s showtime. So, after Roeser’s speech, non-newbie singers from the group joined the audience, excited to hear the piece for the first time. Leah Miller ’28, Damon Cavitt ’29, Bridget Eastman ’29, Cyrus Kasman ’29, Addy Killinger ’29, Pete Kish ’28 and Lindsay Lancaster ’29 remained on stage and performed “Come Alive” from “The Greatest Showman.” The song showcased each singer at various points in the piece while other newbies danced and sang backup for the inspiring lyrics. 

 The second half of the show included more hits, like “Good Morning” from Singin’ in the Rain, “Take a Hint” from Victorious and Starlight Express’ “Whistle at Me.” “Take a Hint” starred Teleisha and Jade Corzo ’28, while Killinger performed “What it Means to Be a Friend” from 13: The Musical.  Then, it was time for the Broken Legs’ “Wicked” medley — no, literally, the first lyric that the group sang to begin the last few songs declared that it was time for the “Blegs’ Wicked medley.” The group masterfully weaved through “One Short Day,” “The Wizard and I” (soloist Eastman), “What is this Feeling” (duet Zarkowsky and Beatrix Flynn ’28), “Popular” (soloist Lancaster), “Dancing Through Life” (soloist Randall), “As Long as You’re Mine” (duet Roeser and Matish) and, of course, “Defying Gravity.” Miller sang the famous battle cry at the front of the stage with a smile, and the audience broke into thunderous applause. 

 Post-bows, the Collegian spoke with Roeser, who reflected on his first show as co-president after joining the group during his first year. “One of my orientation leaders was in the Broken Legs,” Roeser elaborated. “I joined the Broken Legs over other a cappella groups because I had an enthusiasm for musical theater. I’ve been doing [musical theater] since middle school, and theater people are kind of my people, so everything seemed to click into place.”

 After such a successful performance in Rosse Hall last weekend, theater lovers in the community can look forward to the Broken Legs’ spring concert. When “Pitch Day” arrives on Friday, members will offer up new and exciting songs for the a cappella group to take on.