From big time shows to the high school cafeteria, the Warren Hills choir took the stage in early February for the annual Cabaret Night to perform hand-picked songs from popular movies and musicals.

Choir member junior Lianna Johnson explained that each person or group got to choose whatever song they wanted to sing, which is something they all looked forward to.

“Songs were picked because of a special significance to that performer, whether that’s the music itself or the story behind it,” said Johnson. “Some people got the chance to perform songs they’ve been singing for years, and that special significance always adds to a performance.”

Both the performers and the audience members reflected on their favorite songs.

“I can’t actually pick one favorite, but I’d have to narrow it down to Jess’ and Kirsten’s performances,” said junior choir member David Genthe, who watched as part of the audience that night. “They looked beautiful on stage, but more importantly, they sounded beautiful and had a lot of heart in both of their performances.”

Junior Jessica Smith recalled why her song is important to her and why she chose it as her solo performance.

“The name of my song was “On My Own” from Les Misérables and the last time I sang it was my sixth grade talent show,” said Smith. “I chose that song because not only do I love it, but I feel so powerful when I sing it. I put so many of my emotions into it.”

Juniors Daria Wimmer and Juliet LaVigne performed as a duet singing “For Good” from the Broadway musical Wicked.

“The song is one of my favorites from the play, Wicked, and they sounded so beautiful together,” said junior Natalie Gerola. “I couldn’t help but feel like a proud mom.”

LaVigne said the rendition was especially resonant for the friends singing it due to their personal connection to it.

“I originally wanted to sing it with my sister because it has a special meaning to us, but she did not join this year and Daria offered to sing it with me,” said LaVigne. “It showed how close our friendship is and we’ve forever changed each other, hopefully for the better. It’s a very emotional song that perfectly represented our friendship.”

To spice up the night even further, a larger group performed “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler.

“I’d have to say my favorite was “Holding Out for a Hero” because it was sung really well and different from all the others songs,” said junior Sam DiSessa.

Although this year’s Cabaret Night wasn’t  the first for many participants, it was truly special for the group singing “Holding Out for a Hero.”

“The group of junior girls who sang “Holding Out for a Hero” have been singing a group number together since our freshman year, and they’ve always been so much fun to pull together,” said Johnson. “We picked “Holding Out for a Hero” because it’s such a fun, upbeat song that everyone knows. It’s got really cool harmonies and we had a blast performing it.”

Along with performing several of the songs, junior Cody Jackson also hosted the event.

“Going into it, I was a bit shaky on how some of the numbers were going to turn out, but as a performer that feeling is sort of second nature,” he said. “I was pleasantly surprised by how all of the numbers and performances turned out. All of them were phenomenal, and I’m excited for one more year of this amazing show we put together.”