Limelight 2023: A Retrospective

By: Isabelle Peoples and Willow Sweitzer

This November, among the many events and happenings at KCI, one shone above the rest: 2023’s fully student run Limelight show. The show took place on November 16th and 17th and  was a big hit among students and members of the community alike. 

“This was my first year seeing Limelight, and I know now that I was missing out,” said KCI student V Parez. 

Featuring talents of singing, dancing, music, and drama, this show had something for every KCI student to see. 

Without further ado, this is the breakdown of this year’s Limelight production.

The show begins with a group performance of “Come Alive” from The Greatest Showman. 

After this, we see the other side of Limelight: drama, with a clever skit about a family who has hired a princess for their teenage daughter’s birthday party. 

This was followed by an impressive choreographed dance to Mark Ronson’s Valerie, which transitions well into Sadie and Riley, the dance directors, who come onstage to let everyone at the show know they can donate to the dance cast, along with the drama, and music cast during the show’s intermission. Of course, the cast that raises the least amount of money will have to eat a lime onstage!  

After this, we have a heartfelt duet+dance performance of “Everybody Talks”, by Neon Trees, followed by a very funny skit about a children’s summer camp. 

Next, the one and only Tessa Tricks comes onstage to let us all know to donate to the drama cast, which leads into a live performance of “Bobcaygeon” by The Tragically Hip.

Next is another skit, this one about a phobia support group attempting to work together, but setting off each other’s phobias at the same time.

After this, Izzy and Hannah are on stage to let us know to donate to the drama cast.

From here, we see more beautiful choreography with a performance of Lada Gaga’s “Telephone”, followed by a skit continuing where the summer camp one left off, about a strange man in a coffee shop with his pet/friend fish.

After this, we see an impressive tribute to the hit musical, Mamma Mia! With some incredible choreography, immediately followed by a band performance from Donna and the Dynamos.

With this, the intermission begins. During the intermission, audience members could not only purchase concessions and look at the art show, but also donate to the drama, music, or dance cast

After intermission, we come back to a group performance of “I’m Just Ken”, followed by a clever “good cop bad cop” skit.

An impressive duet with Shawn Mendes’ “Wonder” is accompanied by a choreographed dance, followed by a short skit about the art show, and a beautiful ballet performance of “The Grudge” by Olivia Rodrigo.

Next, another creative skit about a frat house holding a competition to see who is the manliest of them all is presented in a reality-tv-type setting

At this point, the one and only Batman decides to come onstage to thank the audience for their much-appreciated donations during intermission!

After the superhero is done stealing the show, we move on to the next performance - a skit called Match Made in High Tide, a performance taking place at a party, featuring the return of the fish-man from the coffee shop. 

Next is a heartfelt performance of Billy Joel’s “Vienna”, featuring three singers, and a choreographic dance, followed by another choreographed dance, this time to N.W.A’s “Straight Outta Compton’, and Snoop Dogg’s “The Next Episode”.

Now it’s the moment everyone’s been waiting for: It’s time for the donations to be counted, and for the cast that raised the least amount of money to eat their lime!

In first place was the drama cast, with the most amount of money raised! And last, but not least, the dance cast in last place, where they must eat their limes. With all of the donations tallied together, the total amount raised was $1336.36!

To end off the night, there was one more performance featuring a group of surfers, and a group of bikers fighting over space on the beach, which turns into a massive song and dance to end the show.

It was truly a night to that will be remembered by all who was in attendance.