Last weekend, the Hinman Production Company performed “Binghamton Night Live 19: Most Wanted,” a student-run, written and directed comedy show that left audiences cracking up in their seats.

This year’s edition of BNL was co-directed by Rebecca Ploski, a junior double-majoring in history and Judaic studies, and Daniel Baneni, a senior double-majoring in political science and music. The pair not only played a crucial role in managing the cast and preparing for performances, but also displayed their ability to work as a team in the “Weekend Update,” a skit not-so-subtly inspired by the classic SNL format of the same name.

The performance was one of several shows HPC will put on throughout the semester. The show consisted of two acts, a total of 14 skits and a musical guest each night. Skits picked on topics from “Love Island” to Barron Trump and the ever-invasive “performative male” meme.

The show balanced its humor with internet references, slapstick comedy and strong character work. The cast appealed to their diverse audience and, being entirely student-made, it was not surprising that they knew exactly what would have their peers going from snickering to full-on belly laughing. BNL 19 truly had something to offer for everyone.

“It’s obviously primarily a comedy show, but it’s not just about getting laughter,” Harry Adler, an undeclared sophomore and actor and writer for BNL, said. “It’s also about keeping people engaged, because you can just get laughter with just random anything. But hopefully, the sketches that they see, they genuinely feel like the sketches are funny. It wasn’t just like a cheap shock laugh or anything. Of course, there’s gonna be some things like that randomly throughout, because using all types of humor is important. That’s why we have so many writers.”

Although every skit was entertaining, there were a few standout performances in this year’s show. In the first act, a skit poked fun at AI assistants, following a desperate Binghamton University student and their virtual therapist who made problematic quips and enabled bad behavior. The skit ended with the student being compelled to kill their roommate.

The second act featured the fictional Rhonda Goodman, a lovely Jewish grandma, and her husband. The pair called an unsuspecting audience member on the stage to pitch their business, “Jewish Names For Less.” If the couple’s bickering wasn’t enough, the audience work was the perfect finishing touch.

Marissa Britton, a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience, played Rhonda Goodman and several other charming character roles.

“It’s a really collaborative environment,” Britton said. “Everyone is super welcoming and supportive, and they’re hilarious. So we were always having a good time, always sharing a laugh and great bonding, great people. I love the community and just overall a really positive experience.”

The final skit was a fan favorite. Three fraternity pledges were forced, by an enthusiastic brother, to do a “wine tasting” of Twisted Tea, Busch Light Apple and “jungle juice,” a roofied punch that left only one brother standing. Two of the three pledges were classic, chest-bumping, beer-drinking frat guys, while the unlikely winner was a timid young man who didn’t quite seem to know how he’d ended up there in the first place.

Each skit was uniquely quirky and the cast was able to acclimate quickly to the wide variety of roles. Jokes ranged from a guy who calls himself a feminist crying out about women having to face the problem of period cramps in today’s society, to fresh ideas like the concept of a 3,000-year-old bridge troll creating the Third Amendment so that the soldiers would have to come live with him.

Ploski described the writing process for BNL as a chaotic but fun and rewarding experience.

“We began the writing process by shouting out all our ideas, putting them on a white board, and seeing what sticks,” Ploski wrote in an email. “The next three days we spent writing and editing the sketches, and on Friday everyone voted on their favorite sketches!”

When asked what they were hoping for audiences to get out of the show, every cast member interviewed responded with the same answer — laughter.

It was not just the work of the incredibly enthusiastic director. The entire cast and crew’s passion for the project was infectious, and it was clear that the cast was entertaining and enjoying themselves just as much as they were entertaining the audience.