Art of Play victory at Apollo Theater creates collision course with Morristown talent show

Four middle-schoolers from Greater Morristown scored an impressive victory Wednesday at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater, where their band, Art of Play, edged out two young singers to advance in a $10,000 Amateur Night competition.

Winning on a stage that has seen the likes of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson is cause for celebration. Yet it also has stirred some anxiety for bandmates Domenico Randazzo, Ricky Webber, T.J. Coon, Tyler Volk and their parents.

Art of Play’s next Apollo appearance is scheduled for Feb. 29 — the same night the group is supposed to compete against 15 other acts in the fifth annual Morristown’s Got Talent! contest.

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Morristown’s top prize is only $1,000.  But at the Frelinghuysen Middle School in Morris Township, where three of the eighth-graders are classmates, the bragging rights are priceless. (Tyler, the drummer, attends middle school in Randolph.)

“I think we might have to make some adjustments,” Domenico, the band’s guitarist, said shortly after the Apollo victory, emceed by comedian Capone Lee. “Maybe we’ll have to play here on a different date. I think we can work it out.”

At Harlem’s Dinosaur Bar-B-Que restaurant prior to Wednesday’s show, band members appeared remarkably calm. They rehearse twice a week and are recording an album of five original songs.

Ricky may have been calmest of all. He played at the Apollo once before, with his former band, Boys Night Out (now Amor). His advice to the others:

“You have to rub a tree stump; it’s supposed to give good luck,” he said, referring to a hunk of the Tree of Hope that sits on the Apollo stage.

(Side note: Boys Night Out went on to win second place at Morristown’s Got Talent!)

Ricky prefers to let his keyboard do the talking. For the cheering, he relies largely on his grandmother, Shirley Holcomb. Shirley was among about 80 friends and family members of the boys who came to the Apollo and literally cheered the foursome to victory. Audience applause determines each week’s winner; Shirley did her part and then some.

“It’ll work out,” Shirley, in the afterglow of the exciting Apollo performance, said of the scheduling dilemma.

At Morristown’s Got Talent! this month, Art of Play plans to play a medley. For the Apollo gig, the band nailed the Beatles’ Come Together.

“We figured it was our strongest song,” said Domenico. “It featured all of us on each instrument, and sounded the fullest.”

Tyler, meanwhile, was not quite ready to fast-forward to Morristown’s Got Talent!

“I’m going to Disney World!” he deadpanned.