Lagniappe Potpourri is famous for taking comedic risks and constantly pushing the envelope. One year in particular presented a big Lagniappe shake up: a show with a plot.
For years Lagniappe has been a string of skits tied together by a general theme. In 2009, the formula changed to have a full-fledged plot.
In it, a family from Montana adapted to life on the Northshore. The show was titled, “Twisted: it’s all in your head.”
Jamie Hall, New Trier class of 2009, explained that her reaction to the news was “pretty open-minded, but Lagniappe has a very specific format so I was curious as to how they would make it work,” she continued, “People always have their favorite sketches that they talk about after the show so we felt we might lose that with a plot show.”
Fellow New Trier alumni and Lagniappe audience member Katie Maloney described how her sophomore class felt about the change. “In my advisory people were apprehensive to see it because they changed it, but I was still looking forward to it.”
Director of the show, Glen Feinstein, explained that the change was prompted by the content from the previous year. “Everyone liked the sketches but there was a lot of taboo stuff so they tried to make it more streamlined with a plot so that it would be more controlled with an arc.”
The show was met with mixed reviews from students. “I still thought it was just as funny,” said Maloney, “but some of my friends thought it wasn’t as good compared to previous years.” Hall agreed, “It was interesting and unique, but I personally enjoy the sketch format more.”
Tyler Balkin, known as a “Grandma Lagniappe” (one who is a cast member all four years) explained that “2009 wasn’t our favorite year, but we still tried to put on a good show.”
Despite some criticisms, there were still many impressive elements within the show. The dance number, which had several elaborate quick-changes, was considered a stand-out. “It was really hard to learn all of the choreography but it turned out really cool,” said Balkin.
The video montage showing cast members dressed as pigeons chasing people on the Northshore was also an audience favoirte.
The following year Lagniappe returned to its sketch style format, and proved that no New Trier club, subject, or sports team was safe when they took aim at the show itself- making a joke about the previous year’s plot choice. The decision to mention it seemed to make sense to Balkin, “It was funny, and wasn’t coming from a malicious place,” she assured.
Although some consider it a controversial decision, 2009 exemplified that Lagniappe can still deliver no matter what the format.