Kirkwood's got talent

 After a long week of having to bear “American Idol”-ized prima donna singers, the existence of “talent” seemed to me about as real as the Easter Bunny. Before the first act of the Kirkwood Talent Show started on March 1, I was ready to slam my ink pen gavel of judgment onto my notebook as hard as physically possible and rip the contestants to shreds using only the power of a critic’s review.

That said, I was pleasantly surprised when a guitar-violin duo, first up, began to blend voice and instrument marvelously. Instead of a couple of washed-up celebrity wannabes, the audience and I were instead graced with Green Day-styled melody that quickly changed into an almost horror-like tune.

The annual Kirkwood Community College Talent Show, sponsored by Student Life, actually featured talent!

Singers and instrumentalists were not the only thing the performance had to offer.  Comedians, rappers and techno dancers also made their mark on this year’s exposition.

 I was most impressed with Tom Garlin’s Dane Cook approach to standup comedy. Featuring material that could be done only in the forgiveness of a dark and hidden college stage, the comedian gave me some great laughs. Better yet, they were actually legitimate laughs (not the gimmicky “you’re absolutely horrible but I’m going to laugh to anyway just make you feel better” laughs I usually have to do at these events).

Other notable performances included a techno/robot/I’m-still-trying-to-figure-out-what-exactly-I-saw dance by Christina Hamous, Marshell Richerdson and Maddy Springer. The three clearly spent some time preparing their choreography and the entire routine went flawlessly. Ironically, I wrote the least about them in my notes, simply because I could not bring myself to look down at my own paper and away from the stage.

In the end, the talent show not only met my expectations but far exceeded them.  After only 10 acts, I was able to leave with my thirst for entertainment quenched.

The judges were very good as well, and after just a short deliberation, the winners were announced: Best Duet going to Riley Neil and Cassie Loney, Best Dance going to the techno-trio, Best Comic to Tom Garlin, Best Solo to Rakeli Ntawuyitegeka  and Best Rap going to Divon Henson, aka “Big Moe.”

Overall, I give the event a generous 4.5 out of five stars. My only complaint: I wish it would have lasted a little bit longer.