1st: Bella Carlson-Vocals: “Shallow”
2nd: Adian Whitney and Carter Novinger- Vocals: “Story of My Life”
3rd: Owen Mcgough- Dance Routine
This year’s Lions Follies featured mostly vocalists, with the exception of one (or three?) dancer(s) and a jazz quartet. MCs Grace Greenly, Mac Flanagan, Hans Romaine and Jack Fidler seemed to have as much if not more fun than the audience, and consistently delivered funny and completely unexpected ways to introduce acts.
The show began with seniors Hayley Hamilton and Christian Watson performing No one likes the opening band. Despite the name, the two radiated authenticity.
Hassan Al-Owaidi performed an Arabic song, that had the audience clapping along. The upbeat tempo was a welcome break from some of the slower songs.
For the first time in Lions Follies history, 8th graders performed a skit. The skit was framed as a game of jeopardy with different personalities such as Sam Sung, Andy Oop, Jimmy Neutron, and more. The skit was well rehearsed, focusing heavily on puns and very structured jokes. If you were looking for some good old enthusiasm, the 8th graders delivered.
The jazz quartet performed at intermission and then in the second act, adding a little Star Wars fun. Natalie Parkhurt’s “Make You Feel My Love” stood out due to her powerful voice.
Also extremely structured was the freshman skit. If you missed it, you can watch “Stress Relief” Season 5 of the Office.
The sophomore skit stepped up to do what students have been waiting for: a reenactment of the Jingle Bell dance in Mean Girls.
The junior skit was structured as a therapy session for students in every grade. “Boom, roasted”: 8th graders feel left out, freshman are too eager, sophomores try too hard, juniors need to stop feeling sorry for themselves, and seniors need to stop acting like they are better than everyone else.