Sold-out, show-stopping, and spectacular: three words that perfectly describe Kingsway’s favorite annual program, Kingsway Live!
On Friday, Feb. 13, in Kingsway’s fully packed theater, senior boys Warren Lamonica, William Warner, Mason Corey, Aidan McCourt, Connor Brown, Van Gantz, Max Shah, Jake Mangifesta, Will Finnan, Colston Karetsky, Collin Klepacz, and Dominic Traini all competed for the coveted title of Mr. Kingsway. In the theme of “Decades,” this show featured each boy time traveling to present day Kingsway from one of the following decades: Cavemen, 200 AD, 1770, 1880, 1920, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2010.
The “decades” theme was an incredibly well-loved concept, with each boy truly taking their era and running with it. From George Washington to crowd-favorite 2000s shows, the videos were wide-ranging, engaging, and downright hilarious. The videos were filmed by Ernie Bobb, Jameson Forcsyk, Jarrett Mattson, and Connor Thompson.
Student council advisors, Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Corcoran supervised and organized the event. The beautiful hosts for this magical night were Anya Patel, Krishani Parikh, and Sophia Paoletti, followed by choreographers Mahi Mopal, Danielle Lewis, Lily Shafer, and Ezeily Rucci. Kendall Flowers and Kamiah Schofield held stage manager positions!
The performance had its typical, beloved format – introductory videos, a group dance, lip syncs, struts accompanied by an escort of their choice, a live questionnaire, a mother-and-son dance, and finally a dance featuring everyone involved in the show.
Next came an incredible group dance, followed by the lip-sync battles. Each boy was put in pairs: Warren and Wil F., Will W. and Connor, Aidan and Collin, Van and Colson, Max and Jake, and, finally, Dom and Mason. Each boy performed a fun, vibrant lip-dub performance to songs including “What Makes You Beautiful”, “Moves Like Jagger”, and “Umbrella”.
After a brief intermission, the boys returned with their escorts. These couples included Warren with Emily Hicks, Will W. with Sydney Fusina, Mason with Mishi Chaturvedi, Aidan with Gabbi Ciciola, Connor with Sophie Park, Van with Megan Moran, Max with Ali Wiggins, Jake with
Phoebe O’Rourke, Wil F. with Sophia Mazzerella, Colson with Leah Gantz, Collin with Courtney Weatherby, and finally, Dom with Elsa Edenzon. Each pair showed up with a stylish strut of their choice.
Finally, as we neared the end of the show, it was time for awards. First came “People’s Choice”, an award voted for by audience members, given to Mr. February Will Warner. Next, through a Penny War’s fundraiser, the boys raised money for a charity of their choice. They raised over $1,000, and the money was donated to the winner of the Penny Wars competition.
The award for this, called the “Biggest Heart,” was given to Connor Brown, who raised money for Movember, an organization raising money for men’s mental health.
Given after careful deliberation by an esteemed panel of judges came the awards “Best Strut” (to Wil F. and Sophia), “Best Lip-Dub” (to Colson and Van), and finally the coveted “Mr. Kingsway” awards. Second runner-up was given to Colson Karestky, first runner-up to Dom Traini, and finally, the coveted King of Kingsway Mason Corey.
Congratulations to the entire cast and crew of Kingsway Live on another incredible performance.
By Nethiri Umashanger
