CENTER STAGE: Lovefest: Group: Counterparts

Their jazzy, mellow sound was contrasted by the loud and comical Yale Alleycats, the show-stopping Johns Hopkins Alnighters and a mediocre performance by the Harvard-Radcliffe Callbacks. Counterparts looked elegant in black evening dresses and tuxedos, adding to the romantic theme of the evening. The show opened with their rendition of Sting's "Heavy Cloud No Rain," with a satisfactory solo by College freshman Nathan Chinen. In between numbers, College senior Ben Pollock played the role of Cupid, running around the stage shouting and pelting candy hearts at the audience. His act was overdone and tended to disrupt the classy atmosphere of the event. Counterparts' second number, Peggy Lee's "Fever," woke up the crowd with outstanding solos by College sophomores Tracy Greenberger and Thais Stiklorius, College freshman Alyssa Deaven and Wharton sophomore Monica Mehta. Following Counterparts' introduction, the Harvard-Radcliffe Callbacks gave an uninspiring and bland performance, saved only by a beautiful rendition of an Enya song with a near-perfect solo and pleasant background contribution. The Johns Hopkins Alnighters, who exuded excitement and energy, started off their show with an impressive version of Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now." But they outdid themselves with their second number, "It's All Right." The soloist worked the crowd, using his entire body to effectively emphasize his words. The Alnighters' choice of songs was disappointing, though, because they were unable to match the quality of the original versions. Concluding the first act, Counterparts performed Hoagey Carmichael's "Georgia On My Mind," with a soothing solo by College junior Lester Grant, who was obviously comfortable on stage. After intermission, Pollock -- still playing -- Cupid introduced the Yale Alleycats. An all-male group, the Alleycats began slowly but picked up toward the end of their set. Crowd favorites were "Spiderman" -- where the soloist did several push-ups before stripping off his shirt --and "Coconuts," where the group acted as though they were monkeys. Counterparts ended the show with Stiklorius singing Oleta Adams' "I've Got a Right." Stiklorius gave a powerful performance, with spectacular vocal efforts. This year's "Lovefest" brought exciting, new sounds to the University stage, but fell somewhat short in its overall performance style. --Catherine Ford