This past Friday night, two of Geneseo's most entertaining groups, the singing quartet NARD and the improv-comedy troupe No Laugh Track Required performed to an enthusiastic crowd in the College Union Ballroom. This event was one of many sponsored by the Geneseo Area Gaming Group (GAGG) during their annual three-day convention known as Running GAGG.
The four members of NARD are juniors Nick Moran, Alex MacDonald, Rob Line and Dave Gordon. The all-male ensemble cast of No Laugh Track Required was also in attendance.
The show began with an introduction from Geneseo grad student Jeff Andrews, a member of Laugh Track, and MacDonald, a member of both NARD and Laugh Track. After some banter that elicited a few chuckles from audience members, the first act began with NARD singing their own rendition of "When You Wish Upon A Star" after a few minutes of comically awkward warm-ups. This concert was then followed by a game from Laugh Track in which four of the members separated into four overlapping groups of two and performed parts of a running skit, but in a different situation for each set of people. Though this might sound confusing, it proved an interesting experience for viewers who witnessed entertaining jokes, from the mocking of MTV's reality show My Super Sweet Sixteen to the hilarious observation of one performer, "…fishing in Lake Erie: you must be MAD!"
The next NARD number was the very well received if slightly narcissistic "Nick Moran Song" sung to the tune of the Beach Boys hit "Barbara Ann," followed by a barbershop quartet version of the Canadian National Anthem done in the classic NARD style. Many more comedic acts followed from both groups as the show progressed, including silent improv, a unique version of the Super Mario Brothers' theme song, and other efforts on the parts of both group to keep their audience entertained and guessing.
Towards the end of the show, NARD and Laugh Track came together in a game where members acted out the worst example of any randomly chosen situation. These included the birds-and-bees talk, stealing a car, and trips to Wal-Mart. The last event of the performance also involved both groups in a mock political debate in which the two main opponents were unaware of the issue they were discussing and had to guess it from the charade clues of their diligent "staffs." This situation resulted in much frantic, hilarious action on both sides of the debate until one of the opponents correctly guessed the subject of the mock conflict as "Spicy Flamingos Launching," a topic randomly pieced together by audience members' suggestions.
The NARD and No Laugh Track performance was a success. Both groups perform throughout the year, and have proven to be hits among the students of Geneseo.