Penn Glee Club premieres spring musical ‘Office Bass’

Penn gleeks, glee-heads, glee-maniacs, and musical theater lovers, take note: The Penn Glee Club enters the world of big business with its spring show, “Office Bass: A Corporate Musical.”

Playing on Friday, Feb. 15, and Saturday, Feb. 16 at Zellerbach Theatre, “Office Bass” tells the story of five misfit interns at a dysfunctional start-up company who question their own sanity when they find themselves working under the iron fist of an explosively cruel boss. 

As the newest members of DMY Corporation, these interns must find a way to fit into an office divided by its shortcomings and run by a violent and tyrannical CEO.

The cast is populated with unforgettable characters, including a sassy receptionist, and a geriatric yoga instructor. 

“This show includes Broadway song-and-dance numbers, Disney tunes, a few artistic choral pieces—both contemporary and centuries-old—great barbershop-style tunes, and modern pop song arrangements,” says C. Erik Nordgren, director of the Penn Glee Club.

Friday night’s performance starts at 8 p.m. There are two Saturday performances: one at 1 p.m. and the other at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $12 for PennCard holders when purchased in-person, either on Locust Walk or at the Annenberg Box Office, and $20 general admission (or for online sales). 

Founded in 1862, the Glee Club has a diverse songbook, which includes selections from the musical “Les Misérables,” pop hits from LMFAO, and the traditional favorite, W. J. Goeckel’s “The Red and Blue.”

Nordgren, a researcher in the Department of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences, and a former Glee Club member, has been at Penn for more than 20 years. He leads a distinct group of 50 students in nearly 75 annual performances.

“What makes the Penn Glee Club really special is the unique degree to which the musical and the fraternal aspects overlap and mutually reinforce one another,” Nordgren says. “The ‘special ingredient’ to such a tremendously energetic and entertaining performance is the strong social fabric and level of trust that exists amongst the membership.”

Penn Glee Club