The 2023-2024 Players: A Programming Board of the Student Government Association (SGA) season has been progressing quickly throughout the semester, most recently debuting a student-written jukebox musical aptly titled “Sinners Incorporated.”
The script, written by Cole Vitelli, follows the journey of a lost soul, Adam, who finds himself lost in Hell, which is now an office run by Satan and the seven Deadly sins. Adam has no clue how or why he has ended up in hell and longs to figure out how he can find his way to heaven. Throughout the story, we see Adam meet and befriend the seven deadly sins and eventually lead a revolt against Satan, the CEO of the Corporation of Sin, who has been prohibiting the sinners in Hell from rising to Heaven after their rehabilitation.
"Adam" played by Ian Love, performs a solo with fellow cast members Lea Dempsey, Stephanie Blais, Kayleigh Cole, and Beck Roth in the background. Victoria Howell | The Montclarion
Directed by junior theatre studies major Jared Deshields, the cast created a beautifully campy production that was filled to the brim with countless laughs, but several solemn moments as well.
Featured numbers included, but were not limited to, “Spooky Mormon Hell Dream” from “The Book of Mormon,” “Where Do You Belong” from “Mean Girls,” “What I Did For Love” from “A Chorus Line,” and many other iconic contemporary musical theatre numbers.
Vitelli rewrote lyrics to connect the songs to the plot of the show, creating seamless transitions and numbers that pulled the audience even deeper into the story. Music director Alison Dingle, a sophomore childhood education major, created strong musical dynamics that helped build onto the story on top of the exciting dialogue and fast paced choreography.
Morgan Beatty as "Greed" and Stephanie Blais as "Envy" play sisters arguing before performing a duet. Victoria Howell | The Montclarion
Throughout the course of the show, each of the seven deadly sins had their own numbers or featured solos that highlighted their character’s story and the arc of their sin. The sin of Wrath, portrayed by sophomore theatre studies major Sabrina Whikehart, specifically had a rewritten version of “Summer in Ohio” from “The Last Five Years,” which highlighted the countless things Wrath would do to be freed from the shackles of Satan and rise above to Heaven.
"Wrath" played by Sabrina Whikehart, sings the last note during a solo performance in first act of the play. Victoria Howell | The Montclarion
While a few numbers like “Summer in Ohio” were standalone ballads that primarily highlighted the actors incredible vocal talents, choreographer Sofia Salerno, a sophomore public relations major, created choreographed numbers that had the audience enthralled and clapping along.
The choreography was fast paced and fun, the kind of choreography that you watch and long to dance along with. A standout choreographed number was “I’m Not a Loser” from “SpongeBob the Musical.” The number highlighted Limbo, also known as Purgatory, played by senior film and television major Dan Amorim. Salerno exciting modern tap inspired choreography combined with Amorim’s campy ad libbing and captivating facial expressions made for an all around thrilling and fan favorite number.
Beck Roth as "Pride" dances alongside Dan Amorim as "Limbo," Sabrina Whikehart as "Wrath," and Kayleigh Cole as "Sloth" as well as many others in ensemble during Amorim's song. Victoria Howell | The Montclarion
Overall, “Sinners Incorporated” was met with rave reviews and excited audience members. The show was a success for all involved, and makes another successful run of a show for the 2023-2024 Players season. We all look forward to seeing what is next for the organization, and how the shows will come to life! We all had a blast in Hell.
