On April 19 and 20, the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) MD Class of 2024 performed YSM: Yale School of Mystery, carrying on the school’s tradition of the Fourth Year Show, which until recently was the Second Year Show.
The students drew large audiences to Mary S. Harkness Auditorium with a fun teaser for the production: “When a lavish gathering at Dean Brown’s house goes awry, faculty and students must join forces to solve a mystery to save the school from an existential threat. This mystifying tale set at the height of the Roaring Twenties reimagines musical classics (Roxie from Chicago) and contemporary hits (Bang Bang by Jessie J) in an exhilarating journey through lawlessness, love, and LCME accreditation.”
Fourth-year MD student Chinye Ijeli directed the show, which was produced by classmate Ryan Bahar. They were supported by students who oversaw everything from set design, to choreography, to make-up. (The show program lists all the contributors!)
The characters in the mysterious musical included, among others, Dean Nancy Brown (played by Christina Lepore), Deputy Dean for Education Jessica Illuzzi (played by Tyger Lin), a high-heel wearing Dr. Sarah Hull (played by Lenique Huggins), and the mystery’s apparent victim—an LCME officer (played by Morgan Brinker). Other actors included students: Noah Tin-yu Brazer, Isabel Wang, Caroline Borden, Vickie Wang, Maddy DiGiovanni, Alejandro Kochen, Dan Grubman, John Havlik, and Ragini Luthra.
The student orchestra entertained the audience throughout the evening, providing the music for adaptations of songs with creative titles such as She's Nancy (to C'est La Vie) and Illuzzi's Song (to Kill Bill).