By Elisabeth Turner, Special to the Chronicle
On Friday night, the 23rd of October, dozens of students poured into the John Adams Playhouse for an hour of entertainment. The lights dimmed as Master of Ceremony, Dennis Foley, greeted the audience and proceeded to introduce the three judges: Julie Hernandez, the 2010 Hofstra’s Got Talent winner, Edwin Raagas of the Class of 2010, and Stephanie Hricko, an advisement dean.
The first contestant, a freshman named Monica Lee confidently walked across the stage and began to sing “Broadway Baby. The audience responded to her performance with thunderous applause.
Following her was Emily Shiel, who sang her own original, “The Prince and Me,” a song with a Taylor Swift-esque melody.
Next, Alexis Robbins, dressed in a bright blue top and black pants, performed a tap repertoire to “Quirks.” Her precise movements received an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience.
After a brief intermission, Francis Humes appeared on the stage to perform “A House is Not a Home.” Despite being under the weather, he managed to carry out a steady tune.
Next, Kristen Maldonado came out in a black dress and belted out the song “Get it Right”.
Jacqueline Bakewell sang “At Last” and thereafter received much applause.
Jadensola Adenji’s performance comprised a mix of words and music, those of which described unrequited love.
Towards the night’s end, freshman Doug Fabian performed a rendition of “Take Me Away”, earning him the audience’s commendation.
Senior Diomara Devalle wound things down by singing Beyonce’s upbeat “Love on Top.”
Concluding the performances was Maggie Doherty. She walked determinedly across the stage and up to the microphone, where she began to belt out “Maybe This Time”. The powerful quality of her performance remained evident even after the song ended.
After they finished, all of the contestants returned to form a line on stage. When Foley called Doherty’s name, she broke out in a wide grin. Doherty will receive a $500 scholarship as an award.
The audience was then dismissed. Melissa Pagnotta, a freshman residing in Liberty, remarked that “you could see clearly that each performer was very passionate about their talent and that made the show even more enjoyable.”
