Shovelhead's Zany Sleepover

New York City, an a capella performance, Campus Tan, Eagle's Deli, Mary Anne's, and the Mods all in one night? Oh yes, and what a night it was. All of this and much more took place at "An Anime Sleepover" in Fulton. Yes, Fulton.

Last Friday and Saturday nights, the cast of Boston College's sketch comedy group Hello…Shovelhead! took over Fulton 511 for its fall performance, titled,  "An Anime Sleepover." As the lights dimmed and the projector screen flashed to life, the audience settled in for the ride.

The night kicked off with "A Generic High School Movie," a very well executed parody on the favorite tried-and-true Hollywood film in which an unlikely group is united by a common endeavor. In this case, "the jock," "the prepster," and "the emo kid" make like the Three Musketeers and ditch detention in favor of adventure in the big city, which took the form of operation "get ‘the emo kid' her first kiss." Think The Breakfast Club meets Ferris Bueller's Day Off . The laugh-out-loud flick set the tone for a great evening to come.

Hello….Shovelhead!, which pens all of its own sketches, did an excellent job writing creative scenes to which its student following could truly relate.

For example.

Scene: O'Neill Library, boy and girl seated at table, working diligently on their laptops.

Girl: "Hey, mind watching my stuff?"

Boy: "Sure."

Girl walks off as boy continues to work intently on his laptop. Enter ninja-like character who stealthily dances across the stage and goes in for the kill, snatching the girl's laptop and, after a victorious fist-pump, dances right off stage with loot in hand. Realizing what has happened, boy voices a profanity. End scene.

Come on, who hasn't done this? It is this sort of play on ordinary events from the life of a Boston College student that won the audience over.

No topic was off-limits for the Shovelheads, including 48Hours. The cast made light of the 48Hours stereotypes, playing on the power of the bracelet, the sharing of deep, dark secrets, and the fast new friends. The two 48Hours "representatives" in the sketch try to describe to their non-retreat-going friends the power of the weekend. But, the pair becomes obsessive about the event and its "rituals," only able to convince their peers that they spent their weekend taking part in a cult initiation. Needless to say, the non-retreat-goers are scared away from the 48Hours enthusiasts.

Another crowd-pleaser was a Four Loco warning from "Dr. Nary" in which his attempt to convince the students of its adverse affects, complete with testament from "anonymous student" and demonstration from the theater department, could only be described as a failure as students left the seminar and headed to go get some Four Loko.

While many of the skits focused on BC-related themes, such as the dreaded visit to the Dean's Office, Campus Tan endeavors, and the Eagles Challenge at Eagle's Deli, the group mixed in a few non-BC-themed sketches that were fall-on-the-floor funny.

Ever consider what the Charlie Brown cast would be like all grown up? Well if you didn't, the Shovelheads sure did. The verdict? Hilarious.

The Shovelheads crafted a Charlie Brown class-reunion skit that was genius. The characters were easily identifiable by their classic costumes, and yes, Linus did have his blanket in tow and proceeded to proudly inform the crew that he was indeed allowed to bring his beloved blanket to work. It was the awkwardness of the reunion that made its comicality. Charlie Brown was inebriated and inappropriate, Peppermint Patty and Marcie were on the verge of a love affair despite Patty's married status, while Linus and Lucy, as the perfect couple, were horrified at the behavior of their friends, and the subject of Snoopy's death was another sour note for the group.

The Shovelheads, Bri LeRose, A&S '11; Mary Elaine Ramsey, A&S '11; Joe Tursi, A&S '11; John Blakeslee, A&S '12; Andrea Chudzik, LSOE '12; Rich Evans, A&S '12; Steve Flaherty, A&S '12; Rich Hoyt, A&S '12; Madlyn Dionne, LSOE '13; Morgan Fry Pasic, A&S '13; Meg Showalter, LSOE '13; and Lui De Armas, CSOM '14, pooled their talent to create an electric evening of entertainment.

Watch out Saturday Night Live, there's another comedy show in town.