This week, the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium overflowed with laughter brought on by the shenanigans of the contestants in the annual Mr. ORR pageant, a competition in which any male who wishes to participate can vie for the Mr. ORR crown – and the funniest contestant (usually) wins.
Hosts Evan Roznoy and Emily Faulkner kicked off the nearly sold out show with witty banter and introduced the first act, a dance number.
When the curtain rose, all eight contestants were on stage ready for the opening musical number, which featured Rihanna’s popular song “Work” and left the audience in hysterics as the contestants gave it all they had in a slew of hilarious choreographed moves.
Next came the casual wear section, in which contestants flaunted their casual clothing to a song of their choice while the hosts read their self-created bios to the audience.
First to walk was Adrian “Paul” Kavanagh who sported a pair of shutter sunglasses and whose bio advertised the selling of two geckos.
Next up was Nicholas Kondracki who wore a bathrobe with American Flag shorts underneath.
Earl Miranda was next in the lineup, looking spiffy in a somewhat formal outfit.
Then William Lynch, dressed as a pirate, walked to Disney’s “Let it Go” from Frozen. Midway through his walk, Lynch proceeded to pull a hamburger out of his pocket and eat it onstage.
Next came Evan Portelance wearing a Captain America-themed tank top with shorts and whose bio stated, “When he grows up, he wants to be an adult.”
Jonathan Kvilhaug was the next contestant, strutting his stuff in a neon green crop top.
Next came Matthew Fortin, wearing a button down shirt.
Finally, Brett Noone finished the casual wear category flaunting an Elvis Presley costume – hair and all.
The second part of the night was the talent section, which is easily the most popular part for the students watching Mr. ORR. The talent competition gives the contestants the opportunity to be as funny as they can be in order to attempt to sway the judges in their favor.
Kavanagh kicked off the talent portion by playing acoustic guitar and singing. The comical catch? Kavanagh didn’t know how to play the guitar … or sing. After the audience calmed down a little from laughing, they pulled out their cell phones in order to wave the flashlights back and forth as one would do for a slow, inspirational song at a professional concert.
Next came Kondracki, whose talent had everyone excited the moment he walked out in a “Vote for Pedro” shirt. That’s right, Kondracki reenacted the dance scene from the famous film Napoleon Dynamite.
The next talent was performed by Miranda who brought his sister, Crystin Miranda, onstage with him to sing “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran together.
The next act killed two birds with one stone: that is, two contestants participated in the same talent. Lynch and Portelance performed the song “A Whole New World” from the Disney movie Aladdin. Lynch was dressed in a full Jasmine costume while Portelance was dressed as Aladdin with a whole costume and a red solo cup on his head.
Kvilhaug and four backup dancers performed “Shoop” by Salt-n-Pepa. Kvilhaug and his backup dancers not only danced, they rapped and sang as well.
Next came Fortin singing “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake. Midway through the song, Holly Frink joined him to sing the female half of the song. Once the song had ended, Fortin’s shirt was ripped open to reveal writing on his chest that read “Moira – Prom?” Fortin’s promposal was met by huge cheers from the audience and a ‘yes’ from Moira, of course.
Concluding the talent portion was Noone, who performed a song in Spanish with the help of Hunter Parker on the drum set.
For the formal portion of Mr. ORR, all contestants wore suits and escorted someone across the stage. From mothers to girlfriends to teachers to friends (jokingly) dressed in prom dresses, the range of escorts was endearing and comical.
The final section of Mr. ORR was the Question and Answer, in which contestants picked a random question out of a jar and had to answer it on the spot. Questions ranged from mundane, school-related things like “If you could change one rule at ORR, what would it be?” to some of the crazier ones that got more laughs out of the audience, such as “If you could get rid of one state, which one would it be and why?”
“Rhode Island,” answered Kavanagh. “Because it’s small and useless.”
When asked to describe himself in one word, Kondracki replied, “Sexy.”
After the Q&A concluded, the panel of teachers assigned to be judges went into the hall to decide the winner of the crown. As the students and contestants anxiously awaited the results, a behind-the-scenes video put together by Kyle Costa was shown. At the end of the video, the judges had made up their minds.
Second runner-up was Miranda, followed by Noone as runner-up. The famous Mr. ORR crown and sash went to Evan Portelance.
The night ultimately concluded with one final announcement from Roznoy, one of the hosts, when he grabbed the mic and proceeded to ask the other host, Faulkner, to prom, eliciting clapping and cheers from the audience.
This year, the audience was notably unique as it contained students from not only ORR, but students from a different state altogether.
Seventeen students from North Carolina were at the event (with their host families) for the annual AFS short-term exchange. The members of the ORR AFS club visited Lenoir, North Carolina from March 9-13, and the students from Lenoir were visiting Tri-Town from April 6-10, just in time to sample the true fun spirit of Old Rochester at Mr. ORR.
But Mr. ORR was not the only thing the North Carolina kids experienced here in Massachusetts. On top of attending Old Rochester for three classes on Thursday, the Lenoir exchange students spent a day at Faneuil Hall in Boston, as well as visiting the Institute for the United States Senate, Fenway Park, and Plymouth Rock. Local attractions were also visited, such as Silvershell Beach in Marion, Oxford Creamery in Mattapoisett, and the Whaling Museum in New Bedford. For the students in the AFS here at ORR, it was exciting to meet back up with their friends they hadn’t seen in a month and for, presumably, the last time.
All in all, Mr. ORR was a night to remember, for those from Old Rochester and from Lenoir. Between two separate promposals and the comical show put on by the eight ORR boys, this event won’t be forgotten by anyone anytime soon.
By Sienna Wurl