Video: Oliver and Charlie race to first place in Morristown’s Got Talent!

The judges said they would have liked to award two first prizes at the fifth annual Morristown’s Got Talent! show last week.

But who wants to risk angering a guy who wields mallets like Oliver Cervantes?

The Morristown High School senior gave the xylophone performance of his life, accompanied by his pal, MHS junior Charlie Savage, doing an admirable job of keeping pace on piano.

They edged out second-place finishers Sam Barnes (fiddle) and Adam Honeycutt (guitar) by a couple of sixteenth-notes.

Nearly 1,300 people packed the Mayo Performing Arts Center to cheer for 16 acts, in a benefit for the Morris Educational Foundation.

We couldn’t believe how fast Oliver’s hands were flying across that xylophone…luckily, we have this video replay.

Charlie had a busy night. He opened the show with his other band, Timeless Jazz.

Oliver had trouble holding onto the $1,000 winners’ check. He and Charlie had better get an agent for that sort of thing. We’re guessing these fellows will be lighting up stages for a long time to come.

Stay tuned for more…

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Photos by Berit Ollestad. Please click icon below for captions.

Backstage at Morristown’s Got Talent…this never grows old

As entertaining as Morristown’s Got Talent! is, it’s even more fun watching the artists mingle backstage in the hours before the show.  Warm feelings of camaraderie and anticipation feel like Christmas Eve.

Wednesday’s fifth anniversary competition was no exception. Here are your backstage passes…enjoy the vibes.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the show

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Photos by Bill Lescohier. Please click icon below for captions

Photos by Kevin Coughlin. Please click icon below for captions.

 

Xylophones, fiddles and L-U-U-N-N-G! Morristown’s Got Talent, and then some

Oliver Cervantes is a quick study.

A couple of years ago he took up the xylophone so he could join the Morristown High School marching band. On Wednesday night, his performance of Tambourin Chinois–accompanied by Charlie Savage on piano–was good for the $1,000 first prize in the fifth annual Morristown’s Got Talent! show.

The duo of fiddler Sam Barnes and guitarist Adam Honeycutt took the $500 second prize with their foot-stomping original tune, Donnybrook, and the Morristown High School rock band Captain Lung (Travis Fielding, Johannes Burger and Andy McNally) earned a $250 check for third place with their original number, Lonely Days.

Ed Kirchdoerffer, general manager of the sold-out Mayo Performing Arts Center and one of the evening’s four talent judges, said these three acts stood out based on musicianship, passion and showmanship. The judges were deadlocked on the top choice, which finally came down to musical ability, Ed said.

“We decided the xylophone player just eked them out,” he said.

Charlie Savage had a busy evening–he also performed with Timeless Jazz, which attempted to repeat its triumph in the first MGT by offering a spirited rendition of Beyond the Sea.

Andy McNally almost had a busy night, too. During the sound check before the show, the guitarist from Morristown High was tapped to fill in for MHS alum Josh Klein of Josh Klein and the Legends.  Josh was reeling from a stomach bug and was iffy for the show.

Although Andy did not know the Legends’ song, Billy Cobham’s Stratus, he faked it admirably and said he would give it a go as a substitute if asked.  In the grand tradition of the-show-must-go-on, however, Josh pulled himself together long enough to give an energetic performance.

There were many outstanding performances among the 16 finalists, which we will be rolling out for you. Stay tuned.

Ed praised all the artists–who included second-grader Michael Pyo, mother-of-triplets Cristina Cappy (“Lady Mama”) and 52-year-old James Cutler of the Kings fish department– for braving the bright lights and 1,200-plus spectators to go for glory.

“I give them all credit for giving it their all,” Ed said. “I think we have a couple of future winners here tonight.”

And kudos to Fran Rossoff, Debbie Sontupe and all the volunteers of the Morris Educational Foundation for another memorable night of entertainment, to benefit programs in the Morris School District.

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Morris Township comic John Mruz aims for short and sweet as emcee of Morristown’s Got Talent

The way amateur comedian John Mruz sees it, he doesn’t need to be brilliant on Wednesday as emcee of the fifth annual Morristown’s Got Talent! show.

“I feel like the audience is on my side… and besides, they’re not coming to see me. The only way I can fail is if I’m on stage too long!” jokes Mruz, 43.

Certainly, the 16 acts vying for the $1,000 top prize are primary reasons why the 1,200-seat Mayo Performing Arts Center sold out a week ago.

Great story lines abound: Timeless Jazz hopes to repeat its victory from five years ago. Pint-sized Michael Pyo aims to follow in his big brother’s winning footsteps. Danny Dones of Top Hat hopes his third try is the charm. Charlie Savage is hedging his bets by appearing with two acts. The eighth-grade rockers in Art of Play are riding high from a triumph at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater.

Wednesday’s lineup also includes the Pavarotti of piano tuners, Matthew Onigman, and the singing fishmonger, James Cutler from Kings Food Market. You can’t ignore lightning-fast xylophonist Oliver Cervantes or 8-year-old chanteuse Danielle Becht. And if the judges award bonus points for names, Captain Lung is a shoo-in.

The talent show raised $40,000 for the Morris Educational Foundation last year and appears on track to approach that figure again.

“It’s really, really going to be good,” promises MGT Chairperson Fran Rossoff,  who will be handling the announcing chores for the first time. “We feel a little more confident every year…this is a show that makes everybody happy.”

Determined to prove Fran right, John Mruz is not taking his comedy lightly.

The Mayo is the biggest room he’s played since venturing into standup three years ago– and the Morris Township resident has to live here after the show. Sons Mat, 11; Willy, 8; and Henry, 6, attend schools in the Morris District and 3-year-old Peter is not far behind. John’s mom will be watching on Wednesday, too.

So John has been polishing his routine for weeks, in New York clubs, with fellow comics, and especially, on Facebook and Twitter.

“If the joke is funny, I’ll get a lot of ‘Likes,’ and sometimes I’ll even get comments off the joke or they’ll refine the joke and I’ll use that to write the material, or to drill down even further into the material,” says John.

Facebook friends really “Liked” John’s marketing slogans after last year’s Irene- and Nor-easter power failures. Note to employees of Jersey Central Power & Light: You might want to stay in the lobby during the opening monologue.

One Facebook fave:

“JCP&L–leave the L off for Lights!”

John has five-minute sets in each half. The family humor comes after intermission. Ever mindful that we live in the age of YouTube, he avoids jokes that might embarrass the wife and kids.

“But my parents and friends, they are totally in-limits. We’re allowed to do that,” he says.

As a boy on Long Island, John appeared in school talent shows–blowing into a saxophone. He preferred the role of class clown, though “never to the point of disruption.

“It’s a passion. I always liked to make people laugh,” he says, explaining his mid-life foray into comedy. His wife Christine has indulged him–as long as he keeps his day job at a web marketing company. Which, he says, is a good source of material.

A video preview of the show:

Someday, John envisions returning to Morristown’s Got Talent! with a family act hatched at a highway rest stop, on the way home from a vacation.

“We form a Conga line five people deep and we head to the bathroom,” he says, “and we have a whole bunch of truckers dressed in Village People costumes singing Hot Hot Hot.”

Right now, however, he is focused on delivering a few punchy lines.

“My goal is to get people laughing a little bit, have them leave their cares at the curb…and then get off the stage and let the talent take over.”

COME BACK TO MORRISTOWN GREEN FOR COMPLETE SHOW COVERAGE!

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Band on the run: Morristown talent show kids get break from Apollo Theater

The eighth-grade quartet Art of Play won’t have to choose between hometown glory and the Big Apple after all.

Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater has pushed back the band’s next competition there so the boys can compete in Morristown’s Got Talent! on Feb. 29.

Art of Play  won its first round in the Apollo’s $10,000 amateur night contest last week–advancing to a second round that was scheduled for the same night as the Morristown show.  Tanya Webber, mom of keyboard player Ricky Webber, said the Apollo agreed on Tuesday to postpone the return engagement until May 9.

“I was really happy and relieved,” said guitarist Domenico Randazzo, who enjoyed playing at the Apollo yet did not wish to abandon hometown fans at MGT.

“We wanted to play there again. We were confident playing in that environment,” he said of the Apollo. But if push came to shove? “You gotta establish your fan base before you branch out.”

The Apollo stage helped launch careers of Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson…and Whitney Houston, the Newark sensation who died last weekend at age 48.

A music video of Whitney recorded at the Apollo now strikes Domenico as “kind of creepy, kind of weird.”

The band experienced a few butterflies before last week’s show, he said, but “once we got onstage, it clicked.

“To tell you the truth, it was all just a blur. I went out there and tried to get the crowd involved, too, so they would vote for us later.”

Domenico, Ricky and T.J. Coon–classmates at Frelinghuysen Middle School in Morris Township–and their drummer Tyler Volk of the Randolph Middle School will be vying with 15 other finalists for the $1,000 top prize at Morristown’s Got Talent!

At Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center this month, Art of Play plans to push the envelope with a five-minute medley of Come Together by the Beatles,  Oh My Gosh by Usher and Lose Yourself  by Eminem. Domenico, who drums in his school jazz band, will trade his guitar for drums midway through the medley so Tyler can take center stage.

That’s a lot of moving parts.

“It’s really risky,” Domenico acknowledged. “But that’s part of our gimmick. We try to show that we’re versatile, and can do different things at different times. That adds to our show. It’s going to be our X-factor.”

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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.

Please click icon below for captions.

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.

 

Video: Morristown’s Got Talent 2012 preview

Here is a sneak preview of some of the acts that will vie for the $1,000 top prize at Morristown’s Got Talent!, which celebrates its fifth anniversary on Feb. 29.

Ninety-seven acts wanted in, but only 16 made the final cut.

Tickets are $20-$75, with proceeds benefiting programs of the Morris School District. Call the Mayo Performing Arts Center at 973-539-8008 or visit the show website for tickets.

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Tickets on sale for Morristown’s Got Talent, take 5! Judges announced

If there’s one thing we know from the first four editions of Morristown’s Got Talent!, it’s this: Don’t wait until the last minute to buy tickets.

The Mayo Performing Arts Center was packed last year, and chances are the same will hold true for the fifth anniversary show, hosted by local comedian John Mruz on Feb. 29.

Tickets are $20 to $75 and proceeds benefit the Morris School District through the Morris Educational Foundation. Ninety-seven acts tossed their hats in the ring; 16 finalists emerged. They are vying for local glory and a top prize of $1,000.

If there is a sentimental favorite, it must be Timeless Jazz, an ensemble striving to repeat its victory in the very first MGT contest. But the competition will be formidable; this lineup offers something for everyone.

Danny Dones (third appearance), Ricky Webber (who won second place with his prior band, Boys Night Out), Joey Gatto and Jasmin Serrano all have been here before and know what it takes to shine. And there are some great newcomers, too.

The act will be judged by:

• Bruce Moran, president of the Latin American Division of Live Nation, the world’s largest live music company.
• Ed Kirchdoerffer, general manager of the Mayo Performing Arts Center.
• David Hess, an award-winning actor whose Broadway and Off-Broadway credits include Sweeney Todd and Annie Get Your Gun.
• Ben Elliot, music producer and engineer and chief engineer and co-owner of Showplace Studios, who has worked with many top artists and bands in rock, blues and jazz genres.

Stay tuned for video previews.

Tickets are available from the Mayo box office, 973-539-8008.

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Morristown’s Got Talent 2012: It really has!

By Victoria Lin

It’s that time of year again – when our rising stars gather on stage to play, sing and dance their hearts out. More than 85 acts tried out for Morristown’s Got Talent!, which is open to anyone who lives, works or attends school in Morristown, Morris Township or Morris Plains. 

Sixteen acts will compete on Feb. 29 for a $1,000 top prize in this fifth anniversary show. Emceed by local comedian John Mruz, it’s a fundraiser for special projects in the Morris School District.

Previous editions have packed the Mayo Performing Arts Center; ticket sales start on Feb. 1. Morristown’s Got Talent! shows all the talent in the 07960, from elementary school students to mothers of elementary school students, newcomers to familiar faces, beatboxing to opera, and everything in between. All 16 finalists have one thing in common: They have talent. And they want to win.

The Morris Educational Foundation trotted them out to meet the press over the weekend at Morristown High School. Here they are:

Photos by Bill Lescohier, Victoria Lin and Kevin Coughlin. Please click icon below for captions.

Timeless Jazz

You might remember this bunch as the winners of the first Morristown’s Got Talent!. Most of the original members of the ensemble are back to reclaim their title. Says vocalist Isabel Rogers: “We want to show people what we’ve been doing. We haven’t disappeared.” With their signature black shirts and white ties making appearances at the Morris Plains Memorial Day Parade, Jazz Night, the Hope Chest gala and at A Taste of Morristown, they’ve been far from invisible. Since winning the title five years ago, some of the original members have moved on to college. “We wish them all the best,”says Isabel, but founder and director Gus Bacas feels “it’s a tighter group now.” The eight-member ensemble met through Morristown High School theater productions and the music department. Gus played the Beast to Isabel’s Belle in a middle school production of Beauty and the Beast. They are joined by friends Gus has known since preschool–original members Danny Reardon, an All-State trumpet player and Ryan Gallagher. Fresh faces in the group include Ben Burgess, an All-State contrabassist, region band pianist Charlie Savage, drummer Stephen Ferm and Gus’ younger brother, Peter Bacas. Timeless Jazzwill perform Somewhere Beyond the Sea.

Jasmin Serrano & Laura Rondinella

Jasmin Serrano and Laura Rondinella met each other at an audition… competing for the same part. They’ve been friends ever since, both down-to-earth about their talents. Jasmin is back for another round, saying last year’s experience was so great she couldn’t wait to do it again. “There’s a lot of great people this year; it’s an amazing breadth of talent here,” she says. They’ve migrated from karaoke bar to karaoke bar until deciding on Take Me or Leave Me from the musical Rent. The process of refining the piece has been unique, though. Laughs Laura, “We practice in parking lots.” Drivers stuck in traffic may be in for some musical de-stressing after hearing this duo of ladies sing.

Danielle Becht

Looking at her résumé and hearing her strikingly powerful voice, one might have trouble believing Danielle Becht is an 8-year-old third-grader at Normandy Park Elementary School. However, as a community theater alum, young Danielle is no stranger to performance. She’s even sung with Kenny Rogers in his Christmas show. She’s been singing for as long as she can remember, starting with a captive and captivated audience of her parents and priest. She will be performing Born to Entertain, picked for its poppy feel and tappy dance moves. Danielle wants to continue singing because she’s “learned so many songs and I want other people to know them too.”

Cristina Cappy

After years of karaoke and being prodded by friends, Cristina Cappy finally was pushed to audition for Morristown’s Got Talent!by her 8-year-old daughter, Vanessa, who insisted she enter to compete against one of her elementary school peers. She ultimately auditioned to set a can-do precedent for her triplets, who will no doubt be supporting her at the show. “I sing from the gut,”she says, which may be why she’s such a success at karaoke. She picked the Lady Gaga song You and I, based on how it showcases her voice and the enthused reaction of the karaoke crowd. “I think my stage name will be Lady Momma,” she jokes. As for dressing like Gaga in a bizarre outfit? “Probably not.”

Carolina Alvarez

You might recognize Carolina from her many roles in Morristown High School theatrical productions, which have highlighted her skills as a singer, dancer and actress. She thought it was great that Morristown cultivated a competition featuring a diverse range of talent, and subsequently thought, “why not?” The rest is history as she readies herself to perform O Del Dolce Ardor. Classically trained, Carolina picked this piece because she thought it was the prettiest, and she became emotionally attached to it after putting herself in the role and discovering the different feelings that came with it. She wishes to deliver a satisfying performance. “Be in the moment,” she says.

Top Hat

With a name like Top Hat, you may expect monocles and Vivaldi’s Spring. But this group’s bluesy, jazzy sound is far from stiff-necked aristocratic. The members all have their reasons for performing. Bass guitarist Aidan Keefer tried out three years ago, but is entering the competition for the first time this year. “I’m in it for the money,” he says with a laugh. “It was really fun last year,” adds beatboxer Joey Gatto. Morristown High School theater regular Danny Dones is on his third ride around Morristown’s Got Talent! and he wanted to try something different by appearing with a group. Vocalist Kiana Davis sang in MGT in a chorus and had the “best experience.” Saxophonist Sean Horan got into it after cousin Dane Glynn performed. Top Hat is playing John Legend’s Ordinary People and Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke. They’re very different pieces, and showcase Top Hat’s versatility. They invite fellow contestant and fiddler Sam Barnes to join them in the future; Sean wishes Kings co-worker and competitor James Cutler the best.

Sam Barnes & Adam Honeycutt

Originally from Indiana and having lived in Massachusetts, fancy fiddler Sam Barnes found himself at Morristown’s Zebu Forno and saw a flyer for Morristown’s Got Talent! He’s been musically inclined all his life, taking inspiration from his older sister. He met Adam, a singer, songwriter and guitarist, through a band they both play in, The Grand National. The duo is playing Donny Brook, a tune with Irish flavor, picked for its originality and catchiness. In response to competitor Top Hat’s offer, Sam says he’s willing to don a top hat and will do it with a smile.

James Cutler

Many know James from his impromptu performances in the Kings seafood department, singing and performing over displays of fresh haddock and trout. He loves his job, he loves his customers, he loves to sing and he loves singing to his customers to make their day. Originally hailing from North Carolina, he was raised on country music and transitioned into R&B when Motown came into the mainstream. Singing Lou Rawls’ You’ll Never Find, he says: “When I’m on stage, I feel like the stage is where I’m supposed to be. I want to bring character to the stage.” He gives a shoutout to all his customers and co-workers at Kings, and thanks them for supporting him in his performances.

Captain Lung

The Morristown High students in Captain Lung have tried out before, but in different combinations. They say “this is one that works.” The current combination is Travis Fielding, Johannes Burger and Andrew McNally. In trying to come up with a band name, the members employed streams of consciousness, ending up with “capital lung.” But that made no sense.  Captain Lung sounded better. Most of their repertoire comes from messing around with their instruments. “We jam, and hear something we like, and we turn it into a song,” says member Travis. “It’s important to have a clear picture in your head whenever you play something,” says bandmate Johannes. Captain Lung takes inspiration from the likes of Frank Zappa and Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. For the show, they’re playing one of their originals, Lonely Days. “I like it because it leaves the audience with a hook. It has a groove, and it’s personal,” says Johannes.

Hanna Neil

Frelinghuysen sixth-grader Hanna Neil has been singing for a while now. “It’s the one thing I do every day of my life,”she says. In fact, when she five years old and flew as an unaccompanied minor to Sweden, the flight attendant told her mother on landing that she’d been entertaining the flight by singing whenever she went to the bathroom. She was prodded to try out for Morristown’s Got Talent! by her friends. Despite her apprehensions, with the support of her friends, she auditioned and was jumping for joy when she found out she got in, singing Adele’s One and Only. Hanna’s also a saxophonist, a handbell player, an oboist and a pianist, and a tap- and jazz dancer. She hopes for a career in music when she gets older.

Oliver Cervantes & Charlie Savage

If Charlie looks familiar, it’s because he is in another act – Timeless Jazz. Nevertheless, he returns as Oliver Cervantes’ accompanist on Tamborin Chinois

Josh Klein & the Legends

Josh Klein wants everyone to know:  “It’s actually Josh Klein and the Legends.” Bandmates Klein and Eric “Swinny” Swiontkowski met each other eight years ago in New Brunswick and the band has had a rotating cast of characters ever since. Now, they’re joined by classically trained Morristown High alum Lucas Kadar and drummer Greg “Torch” Sgrulloni. Says Josh: “We’re kind of not a real band. We play for gigs, and whoever’s there is ‘the band.’ I guess our gigs are our rehearsals.” As a result, their performances rely on masterful improvisation. The band describes its sound as “fusion improv,” and feels Billy Cobham’s Stratus best shows off its strengths.

Emma Farinacci

Peck School seventh-grader Emma thought Morristown’s Got Talentwas a stretch. Now, not so much. A friend told her about it, from a flyer; during her audition, her hand was shaking on the microphone. When she found out she got in, she “flipped out.” Emma says “this is my first experience with this kind of thing, with something this big.”She’s never taken a lesson but loves to sing; for the show, she’ll be belting out Adele’s Rolling in the Deep. “I want to express what I feel about the song,” says Emma. Any advice? “Everyone should follow their dreams and reach for the stars that seem unreachable.”

Matthew Onigman

Piano tuner by day, lyric tenor by night. Matt Onigman was a drama department regular in high school and college, but it’s been a while since he’s been on stage. “This is my new beginning,” he remarks. Even though he likes art songs, he picked Puccini’s Nessun Dorma after his mother-in-law heard him singing and cried after hearing it. The piece has been approached by operatic greats in Turandot, from Pavarotti to Bocelli, and it presents challenges for Onigman. “There’s a story to tell. It’s bombastic and physically demanding,” says the vocalist. Perhaps it’s fitting that the last word of Nessun Dorma is Vincerò!” Which translates to: “I will win!”

Art of Play

Band member Ricky Webber has been here before – as a member of Boys Night Out, he previously won second prize. Now he is back with a new band, featuring fellow eighth- graders TJ Coon, Domenico Randazzo and Tyler Volk. They met each other through school and through music. For the show, they are playing a medley of The Beatles‘ Come TogetherUsher’s Oh My Gosh, and Eminem’s Lose Yourself. “The songs feature all of us,” says Domenico. “It shows off our ability to transition, and our versatility. Lots of music now is just singing and dancing. We want to bring back instrumentality to music.”

Victoria Lin is a senior at Morristown High School.

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Timeless Jazz, King’s guy, and several other familiar faces (and voices) among finalists for Morristown’s Got Talent

The fifth annual Morristown’s Got Talent! show is going to have all kinds of interesting story lines at the Mayo Performing Arts Center on Feb. 29.

Among the 16 finalists announced Wednesday–after a marathon weekend audition session in which 86 acts tried out–are the winners of the very first competition, Timeless Jazz.  Charlie Savage from that ensemble actually gets two cracks at the $1,000 first prize–he also will perform on piano with xylophonist Oliver Cervantes.

Ricky Webber, who previously won a second prize as a member of Boys Night Out, returns with another band, Art of Play.

Michael Pyo, the kid brother of prior winner Chris Pyo (a fiddler), will sing in this year’s show.

Repeat contestants also include Morristown High School seniors Danny Dones (third appearance) and Joey Gatto, who join forces in a bluesy/jazzy group called Top Hat. Singer Jasmin Serrano is back, too.  Seafood lovers can cheer for singer James Cutler, who serves them behind the counter at King’s supermarket. Fans of Morristown High School theatrical productions will recognize singer Carolina Alvarez, and regular readers of MorristownGreen.com will know the rock trio Captain Lung.

Local comedian John Mruz is hosting the show; look out, JCP&L!

“It was extremely difficult choosing the finalists for this year’s show,” said Debbie Sontupe, chairperson of the Morris Educational Foundation, which hopes to top the nearly $40,000 it raised at last year’s show for programs in the Morris School District.

“Our committee stuck to our committment to providing a top-notch show with diversity in talent, ages, and connections to our community — and that guided our decision-making!  We are confident that our audience will be once again inspired and touched by the performances of the evening and of course, we have some special things planned to help celebrate our fifth year.”

Here is the complete roster:

FINALISTS FOR THE FIFTH ANNUAL ‘MORRISTOWN’S GOT TALENT!’

Master of Ceremonies: John Mruz

1. Danielle Becht…..Singer….”Born to Entertain”

2. Hanna Neil….Singer…..”One and Only”

3. Cristina Cappy….Singer….”You and I”

4. Jasmin Serrano & Laura Rondinella…..Singing Duet…..”Take Me or Leave Me” from RENT

5. Oliver Cervantes & Charlie Savage…..Instrumental….Xylophone & Piano….”Tambourin Chinois”

6. Emma Farinacci…Singer….”Rolling In the Deep”

7. Timeless Jazz….Band….”Beyond the Sea”….featuring Gus Bacas, Peter Bacas, Ryan Gallagher,

Dan Reardon, Ben Burgess, Charlie Savage, Stephen Ferm, & Isabel Rogers

8. Michael Pyo….Singer….”Tomorrow” from Annie

9. Art of Play…..Band….”Medley of 3 songs” featuring, TJ Coon,

Domenico Randazzo, Ricky Webber, and Tyler Volk

10. James Cutler…..Singer….”You’ll Never Find”

11. Matthew Onigman…Singer….”Nesu Dorma (spelling not right…will get correct)

12. Sam Barnes & Adam Honeycutt….Instrumental….”Donnybrook”

13. Carolina Alvarez….Singer….”O Del Mio Dolce Ardor”

14. Top Hat….Band….”Ordinary People/Sir Duke”….featuring Sean Horan, Joe Gatto, Aidan Keefer,

Kiana Davis, & Danny Dones

15. Captain Lung….Band…”Lonely Days”….featuring Travis Fielding, Andrew McNally, & Johannes Burger

16. The Legends….Band…”Stratus”….featuring Josh Klein, Lucas Kadar, Greg Sgrulloni, & Eric Swiontkowski

Congratulations to the finalists, and to everyone who had the courage to give it a shot!

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