Thanks to the writing and direction from senior cadet Robert Bannon — and with a little help from The Mugdown — what was once only a Facebook post has become a fully-fledged musical. And while it doesn’t break any new ground, it’s a fun, silly romp with a ton of heart and enough A&M references to please any Aggie.
The story follows John Smith, a fish just entering his first year of cadet-hood, as he goes through the myriad of experiences associated with Corps life. PT, dinner at Duncan, A&M’s rivalry with UT — you name it, there’s a scene about it. It’s kitschy, sure, but that’s half the fun of having a play based on your own university. 
Rather than centering itself around a single plot, “Corps of Cadets: The Musical” features many different characters and conflicts, and as a result it feels colorful. There’s the frat boys ultimately against everything Corps, the hardass Corps discipline head who will do anything to catch delinquent cadets, Smith’s best friend “Forndog” — in addition to the actual choir, this is truly an ensemble cast.
Being a musical, much of the play’s time is spent on choreographed musical numbers. Most of the songs are parodies of pre-existing works (Mulan’s “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” and Aladdin’s “I Can Show You the World” make appearances), but the lyrics are smartly written — some of them are        genuinely funny. “They Took My Hair” was a favorite of mine, and the tap dancing choreography on “Training in the Rain” took me by surprise. Much of the singing is perfectly serviceable and the frequent appearances of live instruments is a nice touch.
In terms of problems, the play has a poor sense of temporal progression. Although the two-act play takes place over three years, I never felt a true sense of time moving forward. This is partially due to the length of the script juxtaposed to the time the play actually takes, but it’s also due to a lack of concrete character arcs. 
Being a humorous satire, many of the play’s scenes and characters are one-off jokes not intended to be carried through the rest of the play — chances to poke more fun at the campus culture — but the result is that when significant movements in plot do occur, they don’t feel significant. The script lacks much of the build up necessary for a successful pay-off. Instead it’s spending time making fun of sorority girls and people who take selfies. 
But that’s to be expected. This isn’t a million-dollar production — it’s a student work of love, one that costs next to nothing and is sure to entertain its intended audience. It’s funny, touching at times, and has the mark of being penned by a dedicated Aggie. Catch it if you can.