This past Friday in the Shapiro Campus Center Theater, Tympanium Euphorium presented a musical theater spectacular to raise money to fight AIDS and HIV.

Brandeis Cares displayed students’ vast musical theater talent with performances from student singers, a cappella groups and even the cast of Tymp’s upcoming musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The nights’ two emcees, Bethany Adam ’15 and Danielle Frankel ’17, opened the show on a comedic note. Referencing past Oscar hosts Neil Patrick Harris and Ellen DeGeneres, they joked, “by the end, one of us will take a selfie, and one of us will be singing in our underwear.”

Changing tone, however, they reminded the audience of the true purpose of the show, which was to raise money for AIDS and HIV research and awareness in America.

All of the money raised from the show, including the proceeds from a silent auction held just before the performance, will be donated to the charity Broadway Cares: Equity Fights Aids—the inspiration for Brandeis Cares.

Broadway Cares’ mission is to use exceptional Broadway talent to raise the funds and awareness, and so, fittingly, the night was filled with musical theater.

The opening act was Rodrigo Granados ’18 singing a medley from Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Granados did not simply sing pieces “Origin of Love,” “Wig in a Box” and “Wicked Little Town,” but he also performed the songs as the character Hedwig, complete with a blue kimono and bright white go-go style boots.

The performance was a highlight of the night when Granados dramatically leaped off of the stage in the middle of his medley to recover his fallen microphone.

The third act of the evening was a glimpse into the upcoming musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which Tymp will perform from Mar. 19 to 22.

The cast performed the song “The Twenty-fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” which introduces the essence of the spelling bee, as well as the unique participants of this particular spelling bee.

The performance had lively choreography that utilized the whole stage and kept the audience attentive. When the preview ended, I wished they would continue on with the rest of show.

Fittingly, the a cappella group that performed was Brandeis’ musical theater a cappella group, Proscenium. Out of the three songs they sung, the most memorable was “If You Were Gay” from the musical Avenue Q in which the group nailed the comedic timing of the song.

Sarah Brodsky ’15, who will be starring as Elle in Hillel Theater Group’s upcoming production of Legally Blonde: The Musical, sang “Surabaya-Santa” from the musical Songs For a New World.

The song has intricate, creative lyrics that center on Mrs. Claus commenting on her life as Santa’s wife and getting more and more aggravated with him as the song develops.

The comedic song was sang with a dedication to the lyrics that made the performance one of the best of the night.

Sarah Steiker ’17 beautifully sang an original piece from Charlie Madison’s ’15 senior thesis musical Grace.

The song, “How Nice,” was a heartfelt ballad about the difficulties of high school life.

The closing number featured powerhouses Nicole Wittels ’15 and Isadora Filipovic ’18 singing the heartfelt classic “For Good” from the musical Wicked.

Their strong performance was a perfect ending to a night showcasing musical theater talent for a great cause.