Out of 40 acts that entered the competition, only 10 of the best talent in Kansas City performed for a spot in next month’s Variety Show. (Logo property of the Variety’s Children Charity)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Hundreds gathered in a crowded movie theatre in Overland Park, Kansas to see 10 of the talented teens in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.
The 10 acts hoped to win a spot in next month’s Variety Show, which benefits the Kansas City chapter of the Variety Children’s Charity. The winner of this Star Search-type competition will serve as one of the opening acts for superstar comedian Sinbad, who will headline this year’s show.
As the guests entered the movie theatre, Deborah Wiebrecht, the Kansas City Executive Director…along with Hailey, who directed everyone to their seats.
While the audience went to their seats, the 10 competing acts performed one final sound check. However, a majority of the audience’s attention was focused onto the big screen as a highlight reel was shown. Among the features of the short film included previous events and heartwarming testimonies about how the charity changed the lives of multiple families.
After a few short remarks from Wiebrecht, Young Variety director and emcee for the afternoon Mark Moberly introduced the judges and the 10 acts that would be performing for the audience’s listening pleasure.
Up first was singer Libby Terril. She tackled Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” The audience fell in love with the delivery of her vocal runs and the fact that she made it the song her own when she sang the last couple of bars a cappella.
Local band The Selfless Remain were the next group to perform for a spot in the Variety Show. They performed a song that was inspired by disabled children and how they wanted to make a better world for them. I believe that the band has a bright future ahead of them and they were a great addition to this year’s candidates.
Blues guitarist CJ Walker brought the sounds of Hendrix, Santana and Slash to the theatre. His rifts were outstanding and I thought that he slayed it. Up next, A cappella group Sound Proof delivered a superb cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors” that would make J.T. proud.
13-year-old Lily Kincaid brought the house down with her cover of Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go” from Frozen. Meanwhile, Cameron Gull delivered an impressive cover of OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” that made the audience feel like they were watching a young Lindsey Buckingham. Second year veteran Kyle Baker delivered an electrifying cover of Elton John’s “Electricity” from Billy Elliot the Musical.
Allie Marx delivered a stunning country cover that showcased a lot of big notes. Meanwhile, Ray Edwards and Jack Ingram, delivered a beautiful cover of A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera’s “Say Something” brought the house down and gave everyone chills. Finally, Hannah De Bock closed the round with a star-making performance of “I Dreamed A Dream.”
Each of the 10 finalists raised over $4,394 for the charity with Libby Terril collecting $1,185. At the end of the afternoon, the winner of the afternoon was Sound Proof! They will be opening up for Sinbad on March 28 at the Variety Show at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland.
For more information about the Variety Show, click here: http://varietyshowkc.org/
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