Conspiracy theories, singing cadavers, and superheroes are not usually the stuff of medical school, but they all had a place in Joseph Martin and the Amazing Technicolor White Coat, the 2007 Second Year Show. This year marks the production’s 100th anniversary. It was also a satirical sendoff to the old New Pathway curriculum and to Dean Joseph Martin in his last year of leadership.
Directed by Heather Gunn, the show featured song and dance routines that ran the gamut of genres, exploring everything from ’80s pop tunes (“Video Killed the Lecture Attendance”) to salsa (“Mastication Number Five”) to, of course, show tunes, including several from the production’s namesake, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
In White Coat, HMS stands for Heroes of Medicine and Science, and the faculty members are superheroes who save lives during global disasters. This time, the crew is charged with reviving Dean Jules Dienstag (Justin Caplan), who passed out during an argument over who gets to go first in the new curriculum. They, along with five bickering second-years, are microcellularized and transported inside Dienstag, where they must battle a motley group of pests, including a cross-dressing yeast infection (portrayed by Timmy Ho, who gracefully pulls off a bra and garter set.) The ultimate villain, He Who Cannot Be Named, turns out to be rapper Morbidity and Mortality (Antonio Perez.) M&M, as he’s known, wants to kill Dienstag so the new curriculum will never be revealed—it will make HMS students too smart and the bugs won’t stand a chance.
Meanwhile, the unconscious Dienstag is found by a spectrum of HMS students: earnest first-years, crunchy Californians, gunners, and Paul Farmer groupies. They pool their skills and attempt to revive the dean, but it takes a couple of fourth-years to save the day—or does it? While the fourth-years perform their acrobatics, Cheyenne (Shireen Cama), a feminist second-year operating inside inside Dienstag, defeats M&M in a Matrix-style dodge ball match.
The plot was alternately advanced and interrupted by a slew of song-and-dance numbers. In Act One, “Bombay Phenotype Bhangra: Dance of the Erythrocytes” was well-executed and mesmerizing, as was “Group A Step.” Instead of rival fraternities, this step competition pitted group A strep against a team of antibodies. In Act Two, the Tahitian dance number “Peristalsis” got the most applause, undoubtedly due to the sizzling choreography, though the skimpy coconut shell and grass-skirt ensembles might have had a little something to do with it.
White Coat also revealed several talented vocalists among the class of ’09. Erica Kaye, playing Kate Treadway, carried several group numbers with her booming alto, and Rachel Jimenez and Monica Lemmond, playing two-timed second-years, showed their chops on “Take Me Brainy/Smiley or Leave Me.” A real standout was Melody Russell, whose interpretation of an Otis Redding tune, “Try a Little Tenderness, HMS Style,” stole the show. Russell might consider auditioning for American Idol in case the whole doctor thing doesn’t work out.
The show was chock full of gags and zingers. Joseph Martin (Jordan Bohnen) was portrayed as a highball-swilling crooner, Kitt Shaffer’s (Sara Mixter) hair was as big as life, and Cliff Tabin’s (Norris Namo) superhero alter ego was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. While inside Dienstag, David Cardozo was thrilled to find himself at the brain: “We don’t have many of these in Canada!”
The caliber of White Coat’s performances suggests the admissions committee is requiring song and dance auditions as part of the application process.
