MBA-produced Rock 'N' Roll B-School parodies RSB

"The Blind Pig," a Detroit slang term for police officers that were bribed by speakeasy proprietors during the prohibition era, was a perfect venue for a wild Rock 'n' Roll B-School night. The bar's dark, grimy, yet avant-garde ambiance brought to life a hilarious performance by our classmates. The Rock'n'Roll B-School show on Thursday night featured outrageous skits, clever covers of popular rock songs and entertaining movie parodies. I was shocked to see such an elaborate performance completely put together by students over the past few months. Between midterms and recruiting, where did these creative heads find time to write, produce, direct and rehearse their 19 scenes?

Lucky enough to snag a seat near the stage, I found myself engrossed in "Dude-Where's my HP12C" and Enron's "If You Want to Use My Shredder". My other most enjoyable moments came from short movies the team filmed; Lola, played by Christina Gilyutin, running to get a beer-to-go during her class break, and Master Gunner, acted by Allison Leff, busting out kung-fu moves to stop a Wharton spy from tarnishing Michigan's reputation. But when Master Lim, played by Professor Linda Lim, gave sage advice to Michigan martial arts fighters, I almost fell out of my chair from laughing so hard.

A few b-school closet musicians appeared on the stage too; from "I love Gautam Kaul, Let Me Calculate Your NPV" to "Banned from the Follies Show" where Calista Frederickson pounds a beer and takes off her shirt yelling Follies sucks (professor Nordhielm would call this a "steal-share" approach) it was a showcase of impressive musical talent, and most importantly, a whole lot of sing-along amusement.

As the night progressed, the crowd became rowdier and more involved in the show. The energy was high, and I was worried that the frequent yelling disrupted the live performance and actors' concentration. Alas, given the early start at Scorekeepers and the provocative skits, it was no surprise that things got a little out of control off the stage.

On the cover of the Rock'n'Roll B-School "playbill" we were warned to see management if we weren't offended during the show. Though I agree that walking into a show like this requires a Howard Stern-like open mind and a solid sense of humor, a couple of skits went a little too far, in my opinion. "The Interview" and "Digitus Impudicus" skits used sex as a way for women to get ahead in business as the main source of humor and left me feeling that some negative stereotypes had been perpetuated.

All in all, the show rocked the Blind Pig and the business school crowd. Shows like this are absolutely necessary to remind us that even though school often fully occupies our lives, we should never take ourselves so seriously we forget to have a good laugh from time to time. Hats off to the Rock'n'Roll B-School creators and cast for giving us all what will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the funniest nights of fall term 2005.