Talent show at Queens' School in Bushey (From Watford Observer)

Talent show at Queens' School in Bushey

4:17pm Wednesday 19th November 2008 in

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Tussling thespians, a female Alice Cooper, and a ukulele-backed trip to the zoo were among dozens of entries in a school's tightly contested talent show. Filip Hnizdo was there to judge the entries and help pick a controversial, but deserving, winner.

Silently brimming with adrenaline and anticipation, stage-bound students peer through curtains into darkness, eagerly awaiting their cue.

Below them, a sell-out crowd, made up of teachers, pupils and family members nervously awaits the same call from the compères, edging towards the tip of seats before exploding into deafening cheers, chants and screams as each new name is announced.

Regardless of any unheard singers or dancers thrust into the spotlight by countless reality television programmes, the students of Queens' School clearly have their priorities sorted.

Each performer, whether years, or months, into their life at the school, is greeted with the type of response usually reserved for A-list superstars and applauded for talent taken up as a side project to homework and other ambitions.

To prevent the event becoming a playground popularity contest, the school brought in three external judges including actor Matthew Fowler and music teacher Vicky Sheldon.

The first day brought students from the junior years to the stage, and although the participation aspect was highlighted by staff, many of the performers outshone those in the senior years.

Hip-hop dance group Girls Can Dance, opened the show with fluorescent costumes and confident expressions, Hannah Ezekiel picked up the best song award for her take on Katy Tunstall's Heal Over and Year 7's Becky Hastings induced applause from the first steps of her traditional Irish dance.

Instantly winning the hearts of the audience the moment she stepped on the stage, a confident, Vicky Humphreys swayed and smiled through a performance of Duffy's Warwick Avenue as a technician lowered the microphone to meet her modest height.

As if to highlight the diversity on show, a bloodstained zombie dance routine to Rihanna's Disturbia followed before Lydia Hyde and Abbie Smith closed the first half with songs.

The second half brought with it a fumbling but astonishingly cheerful skipping act, a show-within-a-show Chicago-inspired comedy routine, a song matched by glowing stage presence from Molly Hurford and a take on Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata by Katy Morris-Luc, continuing despite her sheet music falling off the piano two notes into the act.

The best was however left till last as breakdancers Tally Mac and Stephen Hoyes moved around the stage with skill and easily snapped up the best act prize.

On the second night it was the turn of the GCSE and sixth form students. Again the show kicked off with a dance, the expertly choreographed It Was All In Your Mind.

Tiffany Denny took on the first of her two opposite roles in the show, picking up an umbrella and pink coat to cover Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time.

Tina Sparks mixed ballet with street dance before singer-songwriter Becky East stunned everyone with her own composition, Beautiful to Me.

Nodding and running her hands down her guitar at the end of the show as if to hint at an encore, she got what she wanted at the end of the show as she came back on stage with a “remixed version” of the song after winning the best act award.

Adele's Home Town Glory was played out with piano and vocals by Georgina Blow and Mercedes Virgo before the half concluded with a jump back to the 1970s in a performance of the Time Warp.

After a break, the audience could hardly contain their laughter as Robert Venning and Ben Saint entertained with a refreshingly shambolic, and award-winning, ukulele, pipe and guitar backed cover of Noah and the Whale.

A gothic chorus of Imaginary and another take on Chicago followed, after which Jake Emberton, previously featured in the Watford Observer for his record-breaking cup-stacking ability, played through the Jackson 5's I Want You Back.

Then came Chay Toothill's best song winning performance of What Are You Made Of and Tiffany Denny's daring take on Alice Cooper's Poison, backed by a group of musicians known as “The Banned”.

The Banned might have been the most fun and been tipped for the top, clearly signalled by a staff member's double-take reaction when hearing the winner, but with her own song, only musical backing and stunning voice Becky East was the deserving champion.