The Marquette Meladies — the university’s all-women a cappella group — lit up Straz Theatre with birthday serenades and riff-offs in two sold-out nights of “Mels After Dark” on Feb. 27 and 28 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

My anticipation for the show had been building over the past few weeks with the Mels’ fantastic social media promotion. From the red and pink theme, I could tell I was in for a performance centered around girlhood, showcasing the group being unapologetically themselves.

The night began with highlighting the main event of the show: the wheel.

Whenever deciding what the Mels’ next performance would be, cohosts Rachel Lopera — a sophomore in the College of Communication — and Grace Demeas — a senior in the College of Health Sciences — would spin the wheel, providing them a performance suggestion.

Prior to the show, “Songs About Butts” was written on the wheel’s back, hinting at a later collaboration. After a short introduction from President Sophia Rynes — a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences —, she is interrupted and asked for a phone charger, leading into their first song: “Payphone” by Maroon 5, led by Emily Fricker — a sophomore in the College of Business Administration.

In a great opening song, I was enthralled by the group’s excitement. They were completely lost in the song, and you could tell how excited they were to be there. It put me on the edge of my seat for the rest of the show.

Once the song ended, the cohosts were spinning the wheel again, landing on the highly anticipated “Songs About Butts.”

Before I could process the implications of this, Marquette’s all-male a cappella group — The Naturals — ran on the stage, ready to engage in a reenactment of the “Pitch Perfect” riff-off in a surprise performance.

The 17 songs featured in the mash-up ranged from “Flashlight” by Hailee Steinfeld to “Insane in the Brain” by Cypress Hill, and even more of the “Pitch Perfect” classics. As a major “Pitch Perfect” fan, this was my favorite part of the show.

The audience was electric, hyping up both groups, who provided great performances and even matched the energy and camaraderie displayed in the movie. By recreating the competitive back-and-forth of the scene, both groups even recited exact lines from the movie’s script, aside from the songs.

After the Naturals exited the stage, the Mels switched back to the more female-dominated vibe of the show with “Take a Hint” from the television show “Victorious.”

The song fell flat at a few points, and I could not hear lead singers Reese Cross — a first-year in the College of Nursing — and Lauren Nicklaus’s — a senior in the College of Business Administration — voices over thee nsemble, but the engaged choreography made me appreciate the “girl-boss” nature of the song and nostalgia from one of my favorite childhood television shows.

Next up, it was time to “Spin the Wheel” again, which landed on “Honorary Mel,” pulling an audience member onstage for karaoke to “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen.

The brave audience member was Zachary End — a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences — who sported a homemade gray t-shirt with “Mel BF” embroidered onto it, clearly excited about the opportunity.

End started off nervously in the beginning, but once the Mels provided some great backup vocals, he was able to put the lyrics away and go off book for the end of the well-known song, drawing a roar of applause from the audience.

As the majority of the group went backstage to “change into something more comfortable” for Act 2, cohosts Lopera and Demeas brought the wheel out again to play “Who knows a Mel?” trivia, requiring audience members to answer random questions about Mels for prizes.

The Mels trickled back onstage throughout trivia, and once it ended, they acted out a sleepover that strictly involves no singing. They soon remember that they had an audience to sing to in a very “Saturday Night Live“ manner, breaking into “Talk Too Much” by Renee Rapp, led by Maggie Furey, a sophomore in the College of Nursing.

Furey’s facial expressions as she sang the song were fantastic, and I could not help but notice the overthinking nature of the lyrics. It was very on brand, as the lyrics represent ideas and insecurities girls often express to their friends at sleepovers.

Furey’s acting especially thrived in the spoken part of the song when she picked up a corded phone that shaped as lips and said into the phone, “I think I want to be with you forever,” along with other lines that would be said when rambling to a significant other.

Now, what a cappella show would be complete without Adele? In a “Rumor Has It,” led by Celia Urbinati — a senior in the College of Communication — and “Someone Like Me,” led by Rynes, mashup, Urbinati’s voice shone through, and I found myself drawn to it, drowning out the others throughout the song.

After a quick game of “apply lipstick to another person while blindfolded,” the group broke away from traditional a cappella, bringing a guitar out and moving to the edge of the stage to take a seat.

The girls sang “Subway” by Chappell Roan, and it was by far my favorite song of the night. The group seemed at peace, providing a calming presence as they looked at each other while singing, appreciating each other.

I became emotional at the rawness of the song, especially as the audience began singing “She got away” with the Mels, reminding me of how finding one’s people in college is a healing experience.

Maddie Uhlemann — a first-year in the College of Nursing — and Julia Mansfield —a sophomore in the College of Nursing — sang karaoke to “What is This Feeling?” from “Wicked,” and it was time for the final song of the night, “Goodbye” by Sabrina Carpenter, led by Niki Alexis, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences.

In a final gesture, they bowed at the end of the stage and shouted, “Get home safe!”

Where the Mels fell a little off in their singing, they were able to recover with the energetic, fun and comedic elements of the show. Some songs — like “Rumor Has It” — took my breath away, while others — like “Take a Hint” — were underwhelming for my expectations.

The show is described as the “low-stakes show to try new things,” and I applaud the Mels for creating a fun, out-of-the-box show that kept the audience engaged beyond a cappella.

For more information about the Meladies, visit their Instagram or website.

This story was written by MaryKate Stepchuk. She can be reached at [email protected].