Review: CCHS Puts On Another Great Variety Show

BY CHARLIE BLODNIEKS

When Dawson Worley stepped on stage twirling an umbrella in his hands, the entire crowd went wild. It is in moments like these that the CCHS student body truly gets to join together as one entity.

“I was really surprised at how well put-together it was and how many great acts we have at this school,” Sophomore Julia Oldershaw said.

Between months of planning and practicing, the Class of 2017 has put on a highly successful Variety Show. Most remarkably, perhaps, the acts seemed to be executed expertly with the audience in mind, evident in the smallest details of the show.

PHOTO BY CHARLIE BLODNIEKS

As far as the acts are concerned, no single performance was lackluster. Chorus rapped songs from Hamilton, Worley danced with his signature pizazz, and Hunter Keyser introduced the CCHS student body to the late master David Bowie. Kailyn Capote also performed a moving dance, and Sergio Serrano, Kevin Blackburn, and Garrett Craig made up an excellent intermission band. All of the acts said something about the performer, and as a whole, Variety Show was a perfect example of how diverse the population is.

“[Performing] was awesome,” Keyser said. “Pichardo always puts on a great show. He’s hard on us when he needs to be, but he tells us when we’re good. All in all, it’s great.”

Hosts Jason Chua, Ryan Caldwell, Steff Meyer, Jacob Rones, and Kalli Rogers collaboratively organized skits and video segments to be played between acts, keeping the show funny and uplifting. Highlights of these skits include their video segment “Teachers Get @t’d,” where teachers read and responded to tweets about them, the “intervention” skit, where the hosts willingly made fun of themselves for a good comedic act (Steff Meyer’s continual comments about veganism really shined), and, most importantly, the boys’ reenactment of “Jingle Bell Rock” from Mean Girls.

The best part of the host acts is that they were fun and genuine. When Jacob Rones’ Shakespeare monologue got interrupted three times by Principal Wendy Doll’s announcements on various natural disasters, the audience knew they were witnessing the real Rones, not simply a character he was playing.

“It was months of throwing ideas against the wall, seeing what would stick, and a lot of getting shot down instantaneously,” Chua said.

The merit of events like these is that they truly bring the student body together. When Rones introduced “CCHS’ favorite student,” the entire audience immediately knew he was talking about Dawson Worley. When Chua, Rones, and Caldwell came out in tutus and short shorts, the audience laughed together.

Leaving the auditorium, only positive comments could be heard from anyone. All in all, it was a truly fun night.

Between funny skits, serious acts, and a lively audience, the Variety Show of 2017 was well worth the $10 ticket.