‘Let The Good Times Roll’ in Montezuma

MONTEZUMA — It was an evening of music, acting, dancing, storytelling, musical theater, guitar solos, violin duets, trumpet ensembles and jazz performances at the annual Montezuma Variety Show.

Held in the Montezuma Auditorium Saturday, March 23, the three hour event was billed as “Let The Good Times Roll” and showcased some of Montezuma’s best talent.

One of the highlights of the night was the performance of “When I Grow Up” from Matilda. It featured seniors Kaya Latcham, Tod Geiger, Ethan Jones — who returned and joined his former classmates after moving away — Camryn Brennan, Sam Bos and Izzy Roorda performing with fourth graders Riley O’Halloran, Karley Eichenberger, Clayton VerMeer, Dominic Reif, Kynley Kelso, Katelyn Wolford, Greyson Hudnut, Will Rempp and Mackenzie Fleming.

  Buy Photo

Five of the six seniors performed the same routine in the sprout division at the Bill Riley Talent Show on the county fair and state fair levels as fourth graders eight years ago.

Another heartfelt moving production of the evening featured seniors Izzy Roorda and Kaya Latcham performing “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman with fourth graders Coyce McNaul and Eloise Boughton.

The evening opened with a four-number set by the Montezuma Jazz Band. They performed “Let The Good Times Roll,” “The In Crowd,” “Beachfront Bossa” and “Dance To The Music.”

The musical theater performance of “Me and the Sky” from Come From Away was performed by Faith Ferry. “I know It’s Today” from Shrek was another musical theater performance by Gracie Wilson, Lydia Singleton and Addyson Probasco.

The trumpet ensemble of the “Mexican Hat Dance” performed by Garrett Watts, Jack Erselius, Peyton Tindle, Broox Stockman and Linkyn Bru featured special guests Jayden Ross, Alex Black and Tod Geiger wearing sombreros and shaking maracas.

Camryn Brennan and Faith Ferry teamed up to perform a vocal duet of “Man or Muppet” from the Muppets, and Bryn Fantazia performed two literary programs entitled “Sacrificial Love” and “Under the Magnolia Tree.”

  Buy Photo

Another colorful highlight of the evening was the musical theater performance of “Mean Girls,” a commentary on school popularity featuring Camryn Brennan, Gracie Wilson, Faith Ferry, Addyson Probasco, Owen Desrochers and Hayley Burnett.

The prose performance of “Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key” by Izzy Roorda was another hit of the evening.

The storytelling performance of “I Hate Pink” was performed by Camryn Brennan along with the duet performance of “Sparks” featuring Faith Ferry on vocals and Kaya Latcham on guitar.

Latcham also performed a sang a guitar solo of “Where the Flowers Bloom,” a song he wrote.

There were 26 performances at the event, which was a fundraiser for the Montezuma Music Boosters.

The evening wrapped up with a four-song performance by the Montezuma Pep Band.

“The variety show is one of the best events that our school puts on,” said junior Hayley Burnett, who played trombone, sang in the choir and was involved in speech and drama.

“It's a really good chance for all the Fine Arts students to show their skills and what's fun to them.”

“I thought the variety show was fun because I got to play my trumpet in the Mexian Hat Dance and perform with my friends,” said Broox Stockman, a sophomore and trumpet player.

  Buy Photo

“It was an amazing opportunity to relive those moments and the acts that I did when I was a kid and now as the adult in the variety show,” said senior Izzy Roorda.

“All of the elementary kids represented us so well. Being a part of this senior class that’s so dedicated to everything we participate in such a privilege and blessing,” said Roorda.

“I had so much fun with every single act I did. It was truly a great way to end my fine arts career.”

Coyce McNaul, a fourth grader who took part in “A Million Dreams” with classmate Eloise Boughton, said the experience was fun and nerve-wracking for the first time on stage.

“Once you get settled in to perform, it gets better,” he said. “You get to show what you’re made of.”

“A lot of extra work goes into making this fundraiser — the Variety Show — a success,” said band director Carri Burnett.

“This year we had a lot more acts wanting to perform, which is really fun to see. A few acts brought back ones from the past, which made the night even more memorable,” said Burnett.

“I'm so proud of our students and their contributions to the Fine Arts department.”