Io Triumphe! The Musical?

For the Class of 1977’s 45th reunion in June 2022, Joe Rohde ’77 (and Mel Malmberg ’79) and Cheri (Eichen) Steinkellner ’77 (Sister Act, Summer Stock) wrote and performed a mini-musical, the lyrics to which appear below. (Next stop: the Pantages!) You’re invited to hum along.

“70 and 7”

(sung to “Comedy Tonight” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum):
You might be asking/why is Oxy tasking/Us as reunion speakers and you would be right
It would be nifty/if this was 50/but since it’s 45/we’ll try to keep it light
She brought the wine and/I brought the beers
Let’s reminisce on 45 years of/liberal arts and/new body parts/
And wrinkles where no wrinkles should be
70 and 7/That’s the year for me!

“Age Gracefully”

(sung to “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid):
It’s 45 years and counting/since Oxy was last our home
The mileage is really mounting/Just look at my balding dome
The campus is not the same as/on our graduation day.
Like us there’s a lot of changes/but then/you know what they say
Age gracefully/age gracefully

So, there’s some parts we’ve had to switch out/still there’s parity
They’ve got a theater on the hill/I’ve got to gulp another pill
In any case/we have to embrace/our maturity
We used to eat in the Union/a choice of “with or without”
The menu is more diverse now/these kids have a lot of clout
Meanwhile, I’m on fish and salads/cut back on the carbs and steak
Cause that 50-year reunion/is one I’d like to make
Age gracefully/Age gracefully

It should behoove us each to improve viability
So, the whole campus of Oxy/has had some cosmetic surgery
That’s more things to do/when we have reunions
Catch up and see (refrain … age … gracefully)

Here’s what I mean/we’re gaining patine/gradually
If you think beauty/comes with age/then as we turn another page
Don’t make a fuss/’cause Oxy and us/are more glorious
And they’re still running/that Bengal Bus
And it’s still free!

“Liberal Arts”

(sung to “Anything Goes” from the musical of the same name):
Long ago/Oxy had us expand our minds
Taking classes of many kinds/Some were easy and some were grinds
But I know/once you’re out in the world at large
Oxy grads are the type to find
They’re the ones who are in charge
What I learned at Occidental
Was truly developmental right from the start/Liberal Arts

Now I know how frigging rare it is/for people to compare
Three ideas they’ve got/critical thought
We took poli sci/and biology/anthropology/and geology
And arts course/with no apology/Taking ideas apart
So, if folks tend to be astounded/a dentist could be well-rounded
And read Descartes/Liberal Arts

When neighbors spout abominations
We’re ready with our citations/for a debate/maybe too late
At least we have the tools to parse/between/factual and farcical
It’s called Smarts/Liberal Arts!

Liberal/Liberal/Liberal/Liberal Arts

“Untitled”

(sung to “The Jet Song” from West Side Story):
When you’re alums and come back to this place
For your class’s reunion, there’s always a trace

Of expectation that you’re going to hear
About all the accomplishments over the years
There’s someone we know/Who did something impressive
We ought to be proud/And cheer them more or less
If … it’s not excessive

That Corey Brunish has Tonys galore (And just added another, BTW)
Cheri Steinkellner stacked up four Emmys and more
Bob La Mont’s passport’s as thick as my hand
He’s been everywhere twice on the sea or the land

Paul Waters became the first with a gay wedding/That’s his claim to fame
A precedent they’re setting/We’re not forgetting
Doctors and lawyers/Biologists too
Educational leaders/And artists a few

But we’re the best/With guts to commit
To show up at this dinner and stay through this skit
Who takes the prize? You guys are IT!

“We’ll Be Back”

(sung to “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton)
We came/We brought all our spouses
To meet our classmates again

Here we are/We’re all united
Amazing we’ve come this far
But we’ll do it again/Cause Oxy’s a place
With an impact that’s hard to explain

We’ll be back/Wait and see/For the 50th anniversary
We’ll be back for a night/The next time we try to reunite

Raise a glass/Raise a cheer
Loud enough for everyone to hear
While the class drinks and dines
We will sing that “Io Triumphe!” song/If we still know any lines
(chorus)

We’ll all be back together/Once again
To party all night long/Or at least till 10
For though we might endeavor/To seem grown up and clever
We’re seniors now forever … and ever …

We’ll be back, we’ll be here, for another class reunion year
We’ll return, though we roam to the campus that was once our home
Oxy served as the dawn, of the long strange trips/That we’ve been on
So when five years rolls by, I’ll see you right here (again),
Or I’ll know the reason why.