“It’s Only Life,” ASU West campus’ newest musical revue, opened to a packed house Wednesday night.

Down a long corridor in the basement of the University Center Building, an eclectic group of people waited for the door to the theater to open. Running a little late, as director, featured pianist and associate professor Jeff Kennedy would later explain, was due to a phone call received from the revue’s original creator to wish the cast good luck, the show opened with a tune sung by the entire cast and highlighted the thought of being an artist at the age of 40.

After the first song, the cast exited the stage, and a moment later, a male cast member, Kurtis W. Overby, came back out to perform a solo routine with just the piano at his side.

The cast, five members who all have strong ties to the performing arts, took turns singing solos, duets and ensemble tunes. Some songs were somber, and that expression could be seen on the faces of the semi-formally dressed singers, while others were quiet, humorous and used measures such as pronunciation and word choice to add comic relief.

Among the 20 or so songs presented, there were times the audience seemed highly involved, such as when the entire cast sang one number that made you want to sing and clap along. However, no one ever did, but the want-to could be felt throughout the entire room.

A few cast members in particular seemed to really shine through during this performance, although they were all highly expressive and very talented in their own ways.

Miguel Jackson, who hails from Canada and came to Phoenix to enjoy a warmer winter, was ever so impressive with his wide vocal range and expressive smile. His three solo numbers were some of my favorites of the night, and he definitely added a lot to the group numbers.

Another one of Overby’s solo acts was among the funniest of the night. “A Contact High” featured Overby singing at a rapid speed to two other cast members who pretended to play his parents listening to him confess why he was out so late and why his eyes were so red.

Robert Vance, who was trained at Pepperdine University, also performed a solo act titled “Painting My Kitchen” that really seemed to get the crowd roaring.

Throughout the show, the concept of a repeating theme — that for which the revue is named after — seem to come up. The works of “It’s Only Life” seemed to center around the ups and downs of life that can be thrown anyone’s way at any time.

It is apparent that the cast worked very hard on putting this revue together, and it is surely not one to be missed.

Performances of “It’s Only Life” continue through Sunday, at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday, and 2 p.m. on Sunday. It costs $7 for students.

Reach the reporter at cebrown4@asu.edu