Talent Show 2022

On Saturday 22 January, the Caterham School Talent Show returned to the Humphreys Theatre for the first time in two years. 

 It was wonderful to be able to welcome an incredible array of acts to the stage, some of whom were veterans of the Talent Show from previous years, and others of whom were debutants. Both the Matinee and Evening Shows were worth every penny of the ticket price, and by supporting our acts, the audience was also supporting the Charity Committee’s nominated good causes for this year, Lerang’wa Lunches and Mercy Ships. 

The Matinee Show was an exemplar variety event, featuring barnstorming vocals, poetic dancing, roof-raising music, and hilarious comedy. With Elias and Sahil (Upper Sixth) introducing the performers, everyone rose to the occasion, as did Mr Patterson, who kept the audience on tenterhooks with a classic riddle while the judges were deciding who the top three acts were. Third place went to Will and Samuel (Second Year), second place to Alice and Victoria (Fifth Year), and the star prize went to Vincent K (Fourth Year), for his electrifying electric guitar solo. Congratulations to them and to all the other acts who featured on the bill. 

The Evening Show was another blockbuster. As ever, the Upper Sixth Dance Battle was the marquee event of this show, and in many ways, the hype was greater than ever this year – not just because the Dance Battle was back for the first time since 2020, but also because the teams had one fewer week than their Upper Sixth predecessors to put their performances together. There was no danger, however, that the performances would be beautifully unfinished – but the writing was very much on the wall for one team when the judges decided which super troupers had won the Dance Battle. 

Coincidentally, Writing’s on the Wall, Beautifully Unfinished and Super Trouper were among the songs chosen by our singers during the Evening Show. 

Third place was awarded to Fiona (Lower Sixth) and Glenn (Upper Sixth), second place to Anna (Lower Sixth), and first place to Marcus and Jerry (Fifth Year), for their stunning cello-and-piano rendition of Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved. 

After this, the Dance Battle commenced. Having attended several rehearsal sessions by both teams last week, I was watching closely to see how their performances were evolving. It was great to see how brilliantly they came together on the night, especially given their relatively short rehearsal time. Highlights included the boys’ team’s rendition of Will Smith’s Miami and the girls’ team’s tribute to a completely different US city (Los Angeles) with Fergie’s L.A. Love. In the end, the judges had to make their calls independently of each other and on the spur of the moment, and the boys emerged victorious. Congratulations to everyone who stepped into Caterham folklore by participating in the Battle. 

I would like to extend my thanks to the Charity Committee, Mr Fahey, and Mr Patterson for organising and publicising the Talent Show; to our in-house crew, including the front-of-house team and Mr Baddeley’s theatre technicians, for setting up the literal and metaphorical spotlights; our aforementioned comperes (Elias and Sahil); and my fellow judges (Mrs McMullin, Miss Branson, and Mr Park). Having written an English homework piece back in my school days in which I reimagined The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as a story in which I was secretly a Britain’s Got Talent judge, it was an unexpected honour to be invited to step onto the judging panel at the eleventh hour for an event that means so much to me and the Caterham community. 

Here’s to a very successful remainder of the year in charity events and the performing arts. 

Mr R. Evans 

Teacher of Chemistry 

Evening Show Judge, 22 January 2022