Wharton Follies 2005 —
Aloha, Mr. Hand!
By Martin Thibodeau
"Are you telling me Wharton is, like, high school…
full of jocks, nerds and the 'blonde brigade'?" asks a
wide-eyed first-year student on her way to uncovering
the hidden world behind Wharton Follies 2005,
entitled "Fast Times at Huntsman High."
Through songs, skits and flashbacks to the
'80s, anxious first-years and perky undergrads
learn to kick back and enjoy the ride through
school with a laid-back attitude characterized by
professor of statistics Robert Stine, alias "Spicoli,"
playing the surfer dude with a very relaxed approach
to life. To Spicoli's chagrin, the uptight
"Mr. Hand," otherwise known as professor of
statistics Ed George, tries ceaselessly to rain on his
party, particularly when a pizza delivery arrives
during the middle of class.
This year's performance cleverly interspersed
brief video comedy spots between set changes. One
particularly topical subject, "BraveHark," featured
Dean Patrick Harker spoofing the movie with an
attempt to wrest control of school rankings from
the business magazines. Another video had alumnus
Jon Huntsman stopping students on campus and
asking them for directions to Huntsman Hall, with
mixed results.
"This is the 29th year of Follies, which has
enjoyed tremendous success by poking fun at
nearly everyone we know, from the Dean to the
Donald. In fact, we got so good at selling worthless
entertainment to our classmates that several
other business schools have decided to imitate us,"
says Aileen Tang, WG'05, one of the three Follies
producers to introduce the show. So good in fact
that, with the collective efforts of 150 volunteers,
the Philadelphia and New York shows played to a
record audience of 2,300.
"I was particularly impressed by the amount of
faculty involvement in the show. I wouldn't normally
expect a PhD statistics professor to play a
surfer hooking up with the undergrad ladies," said
Joseph Spector, a Welcome Weekend visitor from
California. "Overall, the Follies was the highlight of
my visit, and I look forward to seeing more shows
as a student and an alum."
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