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History proved itself wrong on Friday night. Despite previous warnings that the 7:30 p.m. show traditionally draws the least amount of people, disappointed fans of the sketch comedy group Hello ... Shovelhead! were turned down from a filled-to-capacity Fulton 511.
An unexpected crowd flocked to the group's "100 Years of Shovelhead: The Best Of" show, which was dedicated to the fans' overwhelming support through the years.
With two performances on both Friday and Saturday night, the show compiled several sketches from the past four years, selected by Shovelhead seniors, that were made "somewhat famous" by fan feedback and their alumni creators. The weekend's proceeds went to The Boston Living Center and Persevere, a hurricane disaster relief organization founded by alum Bill Driscoll, BC '05.
The night began with a video montage of fans interviewed about their favorite past Shovelhead skits, along with cast member interviews giving shout-outs to their most supportive devotees. Some of the humorous responses from the fans proved equally comical to the comedy group they loyally follow.
The first act opened with a dysfunctional family at Christmas dinner. Katherine Kelly Apple, A&S '08, stole the stage by playing a senile grandmother who can't get her grandson's name straight and thinks the family is celebrating first Easter and then Rosh Hashanan. Next was a mock commercial for a CD called "Stupid Freshmen Predictions," poking fun at overly optimistic beliefs freshmen have coming in, such as "BC girls are so down-to-earth" and "My roommate and I are going to get along great."
Sean Kane, A&S '07, revisited two characters he played in the fall 2003 show, portraying a 1997 rendition of Doc Brown from Back to the Future and an annoying student exhibiting every inappropriate behavior possible while studying in the library.
The second act improved upon the first by including more skits related to the Boston College community, which generally receive the most laughs from the student-dominated audience. One such example was a short sketch about the BC housing lottery. It consisted of no dialogue, only slow movements to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" as Kevin Allocca, A&S '06, holding a box labeled "trust" while wearing a white T-shirt marked "Kevin," cautiously crept up to Tim Manning, A&S '08, whose T-shirt read "housing lottery." Once the housing lottery had securely obtained the box, he threw it at Allocca, who then fell to the ground. Another relatable skit was a scene from Harvard Avenue on a Thursday night, involving a cross-dressed Griffin Bach, A&S '07, playing a stereotypical preppy BC girl.
There was plenty of ripping on the conservative newspaper The Observer. Two previously controversial skits made a repeat appearance to elicit just as much shock value as in their debut. One involved Kendall Mayhew, A&S '07, donning a padded sweat suit in a mock commercial for plus-size maxi pads designed for plus-size women. An inflatable pool float was thrown on stage to illustrate what such a product would look like.
The second skit, parodying elections for the Undergraduate Government of BC (UGBC), centered on a debate between candidates for UGBC president, which included a BC female student, a cafeteria worker, the actor Jean Claude Van Damme, and University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. When initially performed, this sketch earned Shovelhead a year of probation due to remarks made about Leahy. Though risqué, the offensive remarks were toned down and the act made for a strong closing as every word was carefully planned to reflect the personalities of each character. George Jasinski, A&S '06, appeared as an Eagle's Nest employee Wandetta Jackson, relating everything to food items found in the on-campus eatery.
While the show included several strong pieces, missing from the night's repertoire were the especially memorable sketches spoofing BC style, involving a girl wearing three pastel, popped-collared polo shirts at once, and the extreme security at O'Neill Library maintained by an intimidating library cop. Though some of the references made in the skits were dated, the energy and line execution of the cast members brought a new freshness to the recycled sketches, proving there is room for improvement when history repeats itself.
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