Lights, cameras, action! On Friday, April 29, Westwood Choirs hit the Round Rock ISD Performing Arts Center (PAC) to perform their annual Playlist concert with the theme ‘Movie Night.’ Singing their way through a range of classic soundtracks and even adding some theatrical elements and acting into the mix, this was by far one of the most entertaining concerts Westwood Choir has hosted. With Playlist always being the Choir’s annual Spring Show, many members of the community come together at the PAC. 

This year, the audience saw references to many popular movies including Pitch Perfect and The Breakfast Club. With the selection process up to both the choir students and director, there was a great blend of classic and modern-day favorites selected for this concert.

“It was a really big jump from the Canyon Vista Spring Show because the last time we were performing, we were eighth graders and it’s cool to see how much everyone has changed as performers and people,” Arushi Sharma ‘23 said. “I feel like Playlist was a really cool chance to see them all together.”

One of the most show-stopping songs of the concert was definitely the rendition of Shallow from the 2018 film, A Star is Born by Preston Sanderville ‘23 and Devanshi Verma ‘22. The crowd was immersed in this performance and afterward, you could hear the positive remarks all over the theater. 

“I honestly was kind of forced into it… sort of,” Preston Sanderville ‘23 said. “But by the end of it, I really did enjoy it and I didn’t think I was going to. I was not really close to many of the seniors until recently, but now I’m really close with them.”

Humor was embedded in this show from the first song. With the boys of Westwood Choir performing Movie Medley at the start of the show, the show radiated comedic energy. After intermission, viewers saw a return of this vibe with the theatrical scene of Since You Been Gone from Pitch Perfect. Choir director Mr. Andre Clark and Assistant Choir Director Mrs. Robin King were even featured as guest judges of the auditions for the new acapella group. 

“When I saw the choice, I thought it was iconic,” Lasya Adivi ‘23 said. “Especially with Clark and King being the judges and Arushi having a line from the movie verbatim, I thought it was a really cool song choice.”

Now, there is no Hollywood without the success of Bollywood and other cultural influences in the film industry. Playlist chose to honor this with performances of Barso Re and Tu Bhoola Jise. The costumes and vocals were amazing in both of these performances, and the inclusion of diversity in this show was widely appreciated by the audience. 

“I choreographed it and Rosie also helped me with it,” Devanshi Verma ‘22 said. “ We had non-Indian people in the choir and so they weren’t really sure how to do the Indian dance. So, I think having everybody come together was really fun.”

No matter the quality of the actual film, the song More Than Words from The Love Guru will always be an amazing choice and, more than that, a classic.  Gabriel Paredes ‘23 sang the song as a solo and absolutely shocked his audience with the power that words can hold. 

“It was a really special moment because we all worked really hard on putting that show together, and all the group acts and feature acts were an integral part of what that show was,” Gabriel Paredes ‘23 said. 

“Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club” is possibly one of the most well-known lines in cinema today. Followed by the iconic arm pump and blasting of Don’t You Forget About Me, this was the perfect closing sequence to Playlist 2022. As a farewell bid to the Seniors, this song got the audience’s hearts involved in the show. 

“Honestly the last actual Playlist that I remember was when I was a freshman, and even then it was not full out because we had a lot of crunch time,” Apoorva Gobburu ‘22 said. “This time we had a real live band and audience and it was so much cooler.” 

With this being the final performance of Westwood Choirs for this school year, there is a lot to look forward to next year. The audience is on the edge of their seats waiting for the announcement of the Playlist 2023 theme, with families already ready to support from the sidelines. *Cue credit sequence*