Misster RMHS 2016

Mr. RMHS is a surprise every year, and this year’s newly dubbed “Misster RMHS” was no exception. The decision to allow girls to participate in the competition was certainly something new, although there may have been more boys dressed as girls than girls themselves.

The show began with an opening dance, complete with the macarena and Chris Millett’s trademark straddle jump, which then led into the sash portion of the competition. Some notable sashes were Carolyn Powers as the punny “Miss Take” and Hunter Lambroff as “Mr. Owl”, trying to calculate how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Following the sashes were the costumes. The costumes were the most consistently funny part of the show, including some favorites, such as Chris Millett as “The Bachelor”, proposing to the lovely Mrs. Shields, Ryan Melley as the struggling “Ryan After Chipotle”, Sam Enright as the wicked famous “Marky Mark”, and Matt Baynes in his “Birthday Suit”. Then came the long-awaited acts.

Act One consisted of seven acts, while Act Two consisted of eleven; the two acts were separated by a performance by the student band, Rhool of Sock. The highlight of Act One was Peter Squeglia in “The World According to Squigs”. In his video, Peter interviewed various students, teachers, and even Kanye West.

As a whole, Act Two was much more entertaining. It began with Matt Miller starring in “Matt Wonderwand Master of Illusion”, in which Matt portrayed a hysterically bad magician. Later, came Chris Millett’s impressive stand-up act, “People These Days”, in which he hilariously documented text fights, post-breakup depression, and Chipotle. Jonathan Schwartz’s “Jonathan Does It All” was equally impressive, as he edited himself dancing into Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” videos, and perfectly impersonated Louis Armstrong singing “What a Wonderful World”. Additionally, Hunter Lambroff performed a dance routine using blacklights, creatively titled “All Lights Matter”. Brian Arsenault ended the show with “A Sequel”, the follow-up to last year’s act: his “Tight Assets” workout video.

Following the contestant Q & A session was a performance by another student band, Johnny D and the Snow Call, while the judges left the room to deliberate. Finally, to end the almost four hour long show, hosts Jason Kwan and Caroline Ferrazzani announced the results: In third, Sam Kramer, and in second, Hunter Lambroff. Senior Brian Arsenault was crowned Misster RMHS 2016.

I was not at all surprised by the outcome of the competition. Unfortunately, though, I was somewhat disappointed by the show as a whole. Misster RMHS is one of, if not my favorite school event of the year, an opinion which has been shaped by the past two years’ hilarious shows.

There were certainly funny moments and funny acts this year. However, it didn’t seem quite as consistent as in years past, which was noticeable in the crowd’s reactions. Despite this, I am just as impressed this year by the number of students willing and able to perform in front of a large crowd of students, parents, and teachers. That is something that I know many people, myself included, could not have the bravery to do.