Show of camaraderie

Boothbay Region High School talent show
Mon, 02/18/2019 - 8:30am

What was billed as a talent show at Boothbay Region High School Thursday night turned out to be a show of camaraderie in the close-knit student body.  Before the show, students worked as a team to get the sound up and running, the curtains to open or close and the spot lights to work.  It was a fellowship of young people who wanted to do something together.

What happened next was challenging. The spotlights wouldn't come on.  The dilemma would have brought even the most staunch performers to their knees but the attitude was that the show must go on, despite the shortcomings of having only stage lighting to work with. Student Body President and Master of Ceremonies Faith Blethen stepped forward with microphone in hand and announced the first performer.

Earlier Blethen explained she has had the idea of having a talent show for a long time.  Blethen said when she and the rest of the Seahawks basketball team did not have a chance to do their usual dance routine during the recent winter carnival, opportunity presented itself. There was not much time to plan or rehearse.  It was just a 'sign up if interested' kind of arrangement. 

Some performers sang songs playing guitars or ukuleles and some played the piano or drums without singing.  One student did card tricks while another did stand-up comedy sitting down. 

Kate Wickline, who skillfully played the theme song from “The Pink Panther,” has been playing the piano for about eight years.  According to Wickline, she got pointers from her father who also plays the piano but is mostly self-taught. As the last performance of the evening, an encore was definitely  in order.

When encouraged, Wickline launched into a robust version of the “Piano Man” by Billy Joel. She was joined by a teacher, a parent and a couple of students who had performed earlier. They belted out the well-known chorus:

Sing us a song, you're the piano man,
Sing us a song tonight,
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody...
And you've got us feelin' alright
.

Later as things were being put away, Blethen said the show had sparked a lot of school spirit and participation. Blethen divulged with just a little note of sadness that while this was the first talent show for BRHS, it would be her last because she graduates in the spring. 

But for that night, everyone was “feelin' alright!”