This year’s Misster RMHS was equal parts entertaining and redeeming. Following major inconsistencies in last year’s show, there were definitely improvements, most notably, in the show’s length and speed. This year’s competition featured singing, dancing, rapping, and even mud wrestling between a father and son.
The show started at its peak with a hilarious opening video. As usual, it involved the contestants rushing to arrive to the school in time for the evening’s competition. The majority of the fourteen contestants piled into Sam Johnson’s Tahoe, being picked up at some of the most quintessential Reading locations along the way, such as Chili’s, Jordan’s Furniture, Dandilyons, and the train station, and headed for the PAC. By the video’s end, the contestants were waiting anxiously at the top of the balcony stairs. Once the right music was finally played, they made their descent onto the stage for the opening dance complete with plenty of gyrating.
Next came the sash portion of the competition. Some notable sashes were Viplav Primale as Mr. Tech Support, Matt Starble as Mr. Shamrock Shake (wearing his shamrock suit, of course), and Chris Millett as beloved substitute teacher Mr. Trainor. Following the sashes were the costumes, which like last year, were the most consistently funny part of the show. Favorite costumes included Ryan Melley as “Oscar winner who sat in the wrong seat,” demonstrating a long trek from his seat in the far top corner of the balcony to the stage to accept his award, and Caleb Brown as RMHS’s own tennis-playing business teacher Mrs. Conner. Other notable costumes were Matt Miller as the Victory Bell, featuring a picture of Mr. Scarpitto and a sad song in the background, and Peter Squeglia as a Stoneham tour guide, pointing out that at Stoneham High School, academics come first and athletics always come in last. Then came the highly anticipated acts.
Act One consisted of six acts, while Act Two consisted of eight; the two acts were separated by a performance by RMHS senior Aimee Casavant and recent Berklee College of Music graduate Cara McCarthy. The highlight of Act One was definitely senior Matt Murphy in “Rebirth,” in which he humorously recounted his numerous failures in the area of high school sports, and highlighted his subsequent rise into the rap game as “Murphman Boomin’.” Later, Act Two featured Matt Miller in “A Tribute,” in which, dressed in a cow suit, he dedicated a song to cows with the help of members of the color guard and chorus, and Matt Starble in “The Struggles of a Gluten Free Life,” in which he raised much-needed awareness for those unable to eat gluten, and for his constant hunger for bread. Peter Squeglia gave his “Scientific Presentation About Science,” featuring plenty of puns, Ryan Melley in just a towel, and the night’s sole promposal. Chris Millett ended the show with his “One Last Time,” in which he performed some carpool karaoke with teachers Ms. Jones and Mr. Broken Rope before performing Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show live complete with dancing on the judges’ table and confetti cannons.
Following the Q & A session, a performance by the student band “Soul Food,” and short skits by the contestants and their sponsors, hosts Troy Anderson, Matt Baynes, and Olivia Lattanzi announced the results: In third, Chris Millett, and in second, Peter Squeglia. Matt Miller was crowned Misster RMHS 2017.
While Squeglia may have been the students’ choice, based on audience reactions from where I was sitting, Miller has been deserving of the title of Misster RMHS for the past two years and as a senior, was finally able to secure it. He, for the third year, delivered a creative and entertaining performance in his act, and his Victory Bell costume and response in the Q&A, during which he admitted to having a secret crush on host Matt Baynes, were certainly some of the strongest in the competition.
Following another impressive student-run show, I began to look more closely at the line-up: Only five of this year’s fourteen contestants are underclassmen, and all five are juniors. In reality, the future of the Misster RMHS competition is uncertain if more students don’t become willing to participate.