Teachers let it all hang out in showing off their talents

Every seat in the 1,100-capacity McKinley auditorium was filled. About half of the audience held cellphones over their heads to capture video of what they could not believe was happening on stage. The students screamed and danced and slapped their friends like, “This! Is! Amazing!”

Every four years or so, for the last 40 years or so, the teachers of McKinley High School have treated the students to a fierce and fearless faculty talent show. On Friday afternoon 62 teachers and staff took to the stage in what was a surprise gift for many students, who dutifully reported to the auditorium not knowing what was about to happen.

The opening number featured 17 teachers in shiny black and gold costumes performing a complicated, heart-pounding Tahitian dance. Jaws just about hit the floor. Then the curtains parted to reveal a live band — a teachers rock band — and the show was off to a blazing start.

This is not a “just wing it” kind of talent show. They’re superserious about it.

For the past month the teachers spent lunch periods and hours after school in rehearsal. There were choreographers, captains for each number, costumes to be assembled and a script to memorized. Yes, memorized. No cue cards or pages on stage.

Alumnus Wayne Paakaula served as technical director and playwright for the show. He volunteered in honor of his teacher, the late Jim Nakamoto, who first came up with the idea for the faculty talent show in the 1970s. Nakamoto directed the last faculty show in 2012. He died in 2013. Paakaula didn’t want the McKinley students to be deprived of this school tradition of seeing their teachers dance, sing and be undeniably awesome.

“It’s a side of them the students never knew existed,” Paakaula said.

The cast had to perform two shows back to back because the entire school doesn’t fit into the auditorium at the same time.

Structured like a televised talent contest, the show was called “McKinley Get Talent” — an homage to “American Idol,” which aired its final show the night before, and to “Glee,” the series set at a fictional high school that happened to be named McKinley.

The host of McKinley Get Talent, with the Reiplinger- worthy name Primo Aloe Vera Hong, was played with smarmy gusto by English teacher Tony Nickelsen. He introduced each act and played the straight man to various teacher antics.

School clerk Eddie Sariol wore pulsing light-up shoes to sing a smooth R&B number that conjured old-school Usher. JROTC instructor Maj. Cory Marlowe did the best-worst magic act, even though he had a bum leg and had to hobble on stage on crutches. Marlowe had students laughing so hard they had to wipe away tears. But, especially for this audience, it was hard to say who stole the show. Everybody stole the show for different reasons. If your strict math teacher is on stage doing the whip and naenae, that is what you will always remember.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.