JTA TALENT SHOWCASE -HOT OFF THE PRESS!

2020 JMHS TALENT SHOW- LULU PETTIT JHS’s 2020 Talent Show was full of amazing performers from the  MS/HS student body and teachers alike. The first section was middle school, opened up by the singing  seventh grader Maya Williams, who perfectly stunned the audience  with her voice in “Love Like You” from Steven Universe. Next was  Natalie Munson playing “Pachelbel Canon” on the piano  (spoiler alert: everyone loved it). Munson was followed by the talented Celia DeFazio singing/playing  ukulele “I Go Crazy,” then Gigi Payne playing her violin.  All four girls were incredible and clearly musically gifted.  Third place went to Maya Williams, second was Natalie Munson,  and for first -- we had a tie! Gigi Payne and Celia DeFazio tied for first,  an award that they definitely both deserved. Then the high school portion began, which was equally impressive.  The opener for high school was freshman Jackie Drozd  (who you might recognize as one of the Gangsters in last fall’s production of  The Drowsy Chaperone) singing an operatic song I can’t even begin to spell.  She was insane and won herself third place.  Next was Breah Sandre and Hannah Boyle, both sophomores,  performing a hilarious scene from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew  (which high schoolers know more commonly as the inspiration for the 90s rom-com classic 10 Things I Hate About You). After, sophomore Aden Dubin sang “Corduroy Dreams”  while accompanying himself on guitar.  Succeeding Aden Dubin was our first teacher performance!  Mrs. Hackett read an original poem,  which was absolutely amazing! After Mrs. Hackett, a trio of sisters,  the Smith Sisters, sang “Helplessly Hoping” entirely a capella.  They blew everyone away and tied with Drozd for third.  Next Hannah Boyle performed a solo soliloquy from Hamlet,  capturing all of us with her strong serious acting.  Following Boyle, Jenkintown junior Marielle Zakrzwski sang  the best “Suddenly Seymore” I’d ever heard, earning herself second place.  After Zakrzwski our second participating teacher,  Señor Detweiler played a recorder that he learned after getting a  too-loud bagpipe (a story you should ask him for the rest of).  Bella Smith then sang “People Help the People” on her own,  which everyone adored. After, senior Cynthia Klingensmith blew  everyone’s minds with her piano skills by playing a song by  Rachmaninoff, winning first place. Just the Guys then sang an a  capella version of “Uptown Girl” with Lucas Pacuraru singing lead.  The final performance was Sophie Pettit who blew the house down with  her rendition of Wonderland’s “The Mad Hatter.” After all of our incredibly talented performers,  Sophie Pettit and James Gans, the comical emcees of the event,  played a game with audience participants while the judges decided the winners.  Pettit called up three volunteers -- Phineas Hackett, Ava Bartlett, and Chris Higham -- To compete against Gans in a relay. In the end,  Gans lost and the three each won a ticket to JTA’s Almost, Maine.  The judges weren’t prepared yet, so an impromptu stand-up   comedy by none other than audience member Andrew Schiller began.    He had told three jokes when the judges came back to announce the winners.   The event wouldn’t have been possible without Lys Davidson, our commander-in-chief.    The event was organized by Sophie Pettit, James Gans, Charlotte Steinhauer, and myself.    Thank you to our judges: Dr. Maluk, Mrs. Hackett, Mrs. Tresnan, and Ms. Toye.    Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the Jenkintown Theater Department    and all of our performers.    That’s a wrap on the JHS Talent Show 2020!​