Krok Around the Klok

A cappella ambassadors cook up a golden good time

By Marvin Hightower

Gazette Staff

Kreepin' Krokodiloes! Does the granddad of Harvard a cappella groups really turn 50 this year?

You bet. And Cambridge will soon be crawling with plenty of supporting evidence. More than 130 former Kroks -- from as near as Boston and as far as Tokyo -- are converging here this weekend for a round of golden-anniversary feasts and musical fun.

The Kroks' many fans can share in the high point of the festivities, an 8 p.m. Sanders Theatre concert on Saturday, hosted by the Rev. Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Minister in the Memorial Church. The show will feature the current 12-man ensemble, the Kroks of 1985 (who have continued to perform professionally), and over a hundred former Kroks onstage crooning "Johnny O'Connor," the group's signature tune.

Also included will be new arrangements of "Rockin' Robin," "Wayfaring Stranger," and "Keepin' Out of Mischief" by former Kroks Director Todd Fletcher '91.

Beyond all that, almost anything might happen. At a 1988 Valentine's Day Jamboree in Sanders, one Krok sang "Marry Me" to his sweetheart -- and tossed in a bouquet and a diamond ring for good measure. She said "yes," the crowd thundered out a five-minute standing ovation, and they married six months later.

In any event, Kroks will be Kroks, which means doing more than just singing a medley of great old ballads and jazz, swing, and pop standards. The songsters will also demonstrate a unique brand of undergraduate showmanship known and loved the world over.

That's no idle hype. During the past 20 summers, the Kroks have earned rave after rave on 10-week tours to Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Monaco, New Zealand, the former Soviet Union, Switzerland, and Thailand. They debuted to a sold-out Carnegie Hall in 1988 and returned last spring to lend their voices to a benefit for the American Red Cross.

Over the years, their heavenly harmonies have delighted presidents and princesses, commoners and kings. The Kroks have also made numerous appearances on radio and TV, most recently this season on HBO's Paula Poundstone Goes to Harvard and A&E's live Holiday at Pops! Kroks recordings date back to 1949 (Krok member Fred Gwynne '51, the late actor, designed the first album cover). The latest arrival is 12 Holyoke Street, a CD issued last year. The Kroks have also produced House of Blue Lights, a 1989 music video.

All this light-hearted activity rests on solid discipline and dedication. It has to. The Kroks typically give about 150 concerts in a season that runs from just before Freshman Week through mid-August -- with the past 25 spring breaks given over to singing in Bermuda. Three or four concerts a week are commonplace, and "free" evenings spell r-e-h-e-a-r-s-a-l.

"Academics are number one, but the Kroks are a close second," says Kroks General Manager Anthony Salewski '97, a baritone who is coordinating the big anniversary. "Except for Christmas break, we're together practically every day."

Long after this weekend slithers into a swamp of misty memories and tall tales, many of the Kroks' 250-odd living alumni will more tangibly commemorate this milestone year whenever they don the specially commissioned cufflinks inspired by their reptilian mascot. The Kroks' croc traditionally appears lounging atop a bulging four-legged pot, but the croc on the cuff is potless and on the prowl.

About that crocodile, incidentally, legend has it that when the group's founding quartet met at the Hasty Pudding Club in search of an identity, someone noticed the Club's stuffed-crocodile mascot (reputedly from Teddy Roosevelt, Class of 1880) hanging on a wall at 12 Holyoke. Transliterating from the Greek word for the beast and inserting a penultimate "e," the wily founder concocted a distinctive name that neatly preserved the Hasty Pudding link.

Label and location both stuck. The Krokodiloes Office remains in the basement of 12 Holyoke, and as the serenaders of choice for Hasty Pudding Theatricals' Woman of the Year, they have charmed the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Lauren Bacall. "I personally got to sing to [1996 Woman of the Year] Susan Sarandon," Salewski says, beaming. "She sat on my knee!"

During the Kroks' second year, the ensemble expanded to 8 and soon after to 12. It has since grown as large as 16 but has never dropped below the now-standard 12, Salewski says. Whatever the complement, being a Krok still carries considerable cachet. Last month, more than 50 singers auditioned for the two slots that open up this fall after the seniors depart.

Joining the Kroks entails a deep commitment of time and energy, but membership also brings enormous benefits, as Salewski explained to last month's hopefuls. "You can't really do many other activities. It's not like a sport," since there is virtually no "off season," he says.

Worldwide travel and a lively schedule may be obvious attractions of membership, Salewski says. "But the biggest benefit of the group is that you create a brotherhood and a bond. We have such close friendship with each other that it feels like family." Linked by common tradition, that family embraces generations of former Kroks as well to create "an atmosphere which is ideal to have at a place like this," Salewski says.

Working with the Kroks supplements classroom learning with invaluable "real-world experience," he adds, recalling a recent phone chat with an alumnus who claimed that most of his job and personal activities draw on skills he learned as a Krokodilo: how to work with adults and fellow students, how to adapt to different customs and cultures on tour, how to organize daily tasks well enough to make room for such a demanding extra commitment.

The group also offers an outlet for talents beyond pure vocalism. "We have a base level of singing ability which is very high," Salewski says. "But above that, we all add different things." Some Kroks are gifted songwriters and arrangers. Others may have special gifts for acting, dancing, or managing.

"All of those aspects get put into our shows, because it's truly a show and not just a singing performance." Watch Salewski and Nat Pastor '99 strut their stuff in a tap duo on Saturday, and you'll see what he means.

"There's nothing more exhilarating than being onstage in front of people," especially after a rough day, Salewski says. Whether the crowd numbers 50 or 1,500, the basic magic remains the same. "What we do affects the audience, and it affects us too. It makes them happy, and it makes us happy. There's nothing better than that."

Tickets ($10 general; $6 with student ID) for Saturday's 50th-anniversary concert are available at Sanders Theatre Box Office (496-2222) and at the Holyoke Center Ticket Office (495-2663). For more information, please call the Harvard Krokodiloes at 495-5160.