Not quite your
typical college club

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Bustleton’s Chris Wogan was in the chorus for three years at La Salle High School and was excited to learn about the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club.
The Penn Glee Club is an institution at the Ivy League school, having been founded in 1862.
Wogan, a freshman and son of the Common Pleas Court judge and former state representative of the same name, earned a spot in the club after a competitive audition process last fall.
Since then, he and fellow members have performed in a variety of settings. They teamed with the Penn Dance Troupe for their annual fall show, sung The Star-Spangled Banner at a 76ers game and presented concerts at a theater in Warren County and at Hunter College for New York-area alumni.
"We’re more than a student group. We see ourselves as semi-professional," said Wogan, an 18-year-old who is majoring in philosophy, politics and economics. "We really stay true to the traditional chorus and there’s a really nice variety of music."
The all-male club, which numbers about 30, takes its music seriously, and members have become good friends through all of the rehearsals and performances.
"It’s like a fraternity," Wogan said.
The Penn Glee Club is readying for its annual spring semester show, this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-23, at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ Zellerbach Theatre, which seats 900, including the balcony.
The title is Miracle on Rice, written by glee club alumnus Michael Glassman. The show takes a comical look at the upcoming Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
While the name of the club might indicate that singing is all they do, members also perfect acting and dancing skills.
"Singing is the heart of the group, and everything else is icing," said Michael Keutmann, a 2005 Penn graduate who is directing the show.
All of those skills will be on display in Miracle on Rice. The show focuses on the United States Olympic team, which dominates in swimming, gymnastics, tae kwon do, cycling and weightlifting, but whose athletes are stripped of gold medals after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
The nation’s hopes turn to the five-man table tennis team, which is never a match for the Chinese. The disqualified athletes urge on their American teammates with a rendition of I’ll Make a Man Out of You.
Audience members — the group draws largely from students but also folks from the community — will see and hear plenty of lighthearted moments.
"We want them to laugh and appreciate the music," said senior Dan Hoang.
In all, there are 25 songs, including Joy to the World, Naturally (by Huey Lewis & The News) and Pretty Women (as heard in Sweeney Todd). There’s also a medley of old cereal TV commercials that will surely be a crowd-pleaser. The orchestra pit will include a piano accompanist, drums and bass guitar.
There’s a plot twist at the end, and the show will close in the glee club’s tradition of a tap finale with members in white tie and tails.
"It’s a great script, and there’s a wonderful range of music," Keutmann said.
The two-hour, two-act show will feature extensive use of props, including a mock Olympic village for athletes and Asian-themed items. There will be numerous costume changes in order to distinguish the athletes from different nations.
Members think the show will be a success because of the plot, character development, the music and a big dose of comedy.
"It’s very funny," said sophomore Lee Crain.
The glee club began developing the idea for the show last May, when it hosted a gala 145th anniversary concert that attracted 250 former members.
The concert also served as the kickoff of a five-year capital campaign toward the group’s 150th anniversary.
Erik Nordgren is in his eighth year as director of the club. He was also a singing member for eight years as he pursued his master’s degree and Ph.D. He’s sung in other groups but thinks the Penn Glee Club is special.
"What’s really great is the combination of musicality and the fraternal aspect," he said. "It’s a brotherhood."
Song choices include traditional, pop, spiritual, opera, Broadway show tunes and even German drinking songs.
The members, like Penn’s student body, come from all over the country and even the world. Few major in the performing arts. Rather, the predominant fields of study include economics, business, biology, sociology and psychology.
Sophomore Fan Zhou said that kind of diversity leads to plenty of ideas from all members and keeps the club strong year after year.
"On Penn’s campus, we’re a unique performing arts club," he said. "We’re the oldest performing arts organization, a hundred and forty-six years. We have one of the most extensive repertoires and don’t try to limit ourselves. We’ve found our niche." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com

Go for the glee . . .

The Penn Glee Club will present Miracle on Rice on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21 to 23, at 8 p.m. at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts’ Zellerbach Theatre, at 3680 Walnut St.
Tickets cost $10 at the door.
For more information, visit www.penngleeclub.com
The Web site includes a two-minute trailer for the show on YouTube.