Senior Michael Daniels was rather put off.

The Talent Show host had come onstage to introduce the first guest alone, taking care to mention that the event was an APT fundraiser. Suddenly fellow senior Teddy Hill was barging in and repeating Daniels’ lines word for word. This was something Daniels could not accept.

The resulting argument ended in Daniels shoving Hill offstage and established a theme of tension between the Talent Show’s two emcees. Though the storyline was rather static, it nonetheless provided several opportunities for comedy that the duo were quick to capitalize on.

At one point Hill forced Daniels to don a dress, adopt the name Michelle, and assist him in a card trick involving a member of the audience; Daniels was resentful and it showed.

Corruption was a common theme in the show. Daniels and Hill engaged in a musical faceoff at the beginning of the second act featuring a large amount of subterfuge. Bribery at the top levels of the production reared its ugly head, and The Forest Scout was offered a considerable sum to not publish signficant show details. Due to the shoestring budget on which the Scout operates it was agreed to accept this offer; hence students seeking to experience the Talent Show through this article shall only be disappointed.

Immense sums of time and energy were invested in the performance, and it showed; lighting was almost flawless, the acts flowed together perfectly, and every routine was just about impeccable.

There was one time in the second act where the lights cut out, and sometimes instrumentation drowned out vocals. It is good that the School Board is considering these and other problems with the high school’s infrastructure.

New Media was arguably the greatest hit of the show. Its sketches were interspersed with the acts and appearances of the sadly bellicose emcees, and each and every one was brilliant.

There was a deeply disturbing picture portraying a poorly-parented child who eats food the wrong way (one gripe here: it seems more of a tragicomedy than a tragedy). There was a depiction of the rise and fall of a dealer in retreat-inspired beverages (Kairos may indeed be a cult… of addiction). We witnessed the rage of a force-sensitive screenager in search of his phone. A full-color parody of “Survivor” broke the Nielsen ratings system.

Other sketches involved coffee, conspiracies, and frowning deans in elevators. An especially notable piece was the exposé of the wanton use of TikTok by LFHS faculty; apparently, Generation Z has successfully corrupted our predecessors.

The Forest Scout will nonetheless be investigating New Media, a semi-secret second floor society that gives video journalism a bad name with its ridiculous productions that ought to be treated as entertainment rather than journalism.

This is not a social commentary. This is a serious review of a magnificent showcase of the talent within the LFHS community.

No U-Turn Ahead performed “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” with an infectious energy; lead singer Brennan Marzella ran through the audience at one point. Seniors Martha Clifford, Cara Page, and Maliha Yusuf gave a similarly energetic, well choreographed and splendid-sounding rendition of the Ariana Grande song “No Tears Left to Cry.”

Take Six gave a swingy and soulful performance, balancing the various components of their sound just about perfectly. Freshman Tess Meulbroek danced out an artful and serene exercise in flexible storytelling to “Ave Maria.”

Lowkey Treble then covered “Love Runs Out” with their signature blend of overwhelmingly expressive choreography, vibrant sound scene, and the like. At this point, the love and adoration of the people is solidly behind LKT and further praise is a waste of pixels.

Lyon and Li continued their tradition of gentle, flowing melodies that always strike a chord within the audience. Freshman band Demiromantic covered “Last Nite” with an original and exciting sound, but the instrumentation seemed to drown out the vocals thanks to the RMA’s flawless sound system.

Fan-favorite Grapefruit’s performance of “Greedy” was electrifying with vocals to match.

Juniors Cole Joseph, Pierce “I’m Doc” Docherty, and Adrian Ye recapped the last decade in film history in perhaps the most questionable way possible; there are no other adjectives. Looking for Jane concluded the first act with a masterful use of all instruments and vocals to cover Tori Kelly’s “Language.”

The freshman-heavy LFHS Big Band was fantastic, featuring a tour de force by both percussion and brass and a trumpet solo by Mark Smirnov, the iconic lead organizer of Lake Bluff’s Veterans Day Ceremony last year.

The Forest Scout is unable to disclose whether this author was monetarily incentivized to give favorable reviews; such would disrupt the learning environment and cause consternation in the school administration.

Freshman band Verdant made strong use of electric guitars and percussion; last night was their debut performance and they took full advantage of it to showcase their talent and establish themselves as a force within the musical community.

Often have folk wondered what would occur if a horde of seniors were let loose on stage equipped for a rock-fest of the ages. Seniors Michael Daniels, Billy Gardner, Luke Gerskovich, and Jack Lavanway answered with a cover of “Sleep Now In The Fire,” a rage-filled rant against the machines.

The performance was notably recorded by several audience members via iPhone; a list of those persons’ names was bodily removed from this reporter by members of the Talent Show Committee and it is expected that the Committee will punish offenders for their blatant breach of decorum. There are other times and places to view Talent Show performances, namely tonight and tomorrow at 7pm.

Seniors Martha Clifford, Laine Gamrath, and Catherine Terkildsen gave a comforting yet powerful rendition of “Sweet Creature.” Dance Team then proceeded to remind everyone why they are second in the nation.

The next band, F.L.A.M.E., was indeed on fire. I had not yet seen hair used as a musical instrument.

The Yo-Yo Crew, despite the departure of Allen Chiu, remains a sight to be seen; with half of its members now underclassmen, it will hopefully be a continuing presence on campus. Sylvia Kollasch, original songwriter, mastered the balance between soothing guitar work and passionate vocals about the nature of love.

The Last Imaginary Guitar Solo was a strong performance by a large group dominated by seniors. The populist president of the LFHS chapter of the National Honor Society, William Jennings Gardner, somehow managed to dominate the performance.

The emcees’ plot arc then reached a touching conclusion as Hill and Daniels thanked the cast, crew, APT, and audience — with Hill repeating every word of Daniels’ as before. Thus the stage was cleared for a magnificent performance of “Running Away.”

The closing act was of exceptionally solid constitution; it was also easily one of the best. It featured a strong cowbell performance, and it was then that the true problem with the Talent Show was laid bare for all to see:

It needed More Cowbell.