Home Lifestyle Battle at the Cole: Motones vs Jerseys

Battle at the Cole: Motones vs Jerseys

The Motones perform in a musical battle against the Jerseys at Cole Auditorium. See more photos below the story. Photos by Betty McIntyre.

HAMLET — Ticket holders arrived at the Cole Auditorium on Tuesday, April 4 and were greeted by an almost-full moon as they waited in anticipation for the doors to open for the season’s last show in the 2022-2023 Performing Arts Series.

The near-sold-out concert was scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., but due to a minor technical issue there was a slight delay in the doors opening.

The Motones and Jerseys sang and danced to “old school” songs as they performed in concert along with a battle-to-win between the two groups. The audience would text their preferences and be the judges of the winning group. The entertaining competition began with emcee Anne Terze-Schwarz opening as well as performing with the Motones and Jerseys. Schwarz began performing at age 9 and has performed all over the world. Her bright personality shone throughout the night as she began with introducing herself as “The hostess with the mostest.”

Motones cast consisted of: Moses Brown who has appeared in “Little Shop of Horrors,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Bring It On,” and “Rock of Ages;” A.J. Davis, a New York-based actor and vocalist who has been seen in many productions, some of which include “The Wiz,” “Dreamgirls,” numerous theaters and music festivals; Kenny Moten, the co-creator/co-producer of the Motones and Jerseys and an award-winning vocalist who has performed all over the U.S., but his true passion is working behind the scenes; and Alegandro Roldan, a classically trained vocalist who has appeared in Colorado at BDT Stage, Littleton Town Hall and Lone Tree Arts Center.

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Jerseys cast consisted of: Jake Bell from Memphis, Tennessee, who played in the Town Hall Arts Center as Sonny Malone in “Xanadu” and has also been seen in “Paw Patrol Live,” as Prince Eric in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid;” Barret Harper, who has toured across the country in numerous shows such as “First Date,” “Mama Mia,” “Rock of Ages,” “Dead Man Walking,” and “Jesus Christ Superstar;” Tim Howard, who has appeared in regional productions including “She Loves Me,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “West Side Story,” “Tarzan,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and “Catch Me if You Can;” and Jacob Villarreal — who studied voice at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, but has a church background and got his talent from his parents who are pastors and evangelists — whose shows include “In the Heights,” “Music Man,” “Smokey Joe’s Café,” and “Mamma Mia.”

The audience gave their approval as they participated along with the show while enjoying the ongoing battle. The first of many categories in the competition was doo-wop, which began with the Temptations’ song “Just my Imagination.” The groups also performed a few songs together, one being “Proud Mary,” in which the audience loudly applauded. The energetic, interactive show seemed to be a hit with all who attended.

After performing the last category, the moment of truth would come. While both groups gave their all, there could only be one winner and the audience chose the Motones to take the win for the night.

“We were glad to end our season on such a high note,” said Joey Bennett, director of the Cole. “The new season lineup will be announced late this spring. Anyone interested can call the box office or go online at Richmondcc.edu and register to get on the email list to receive updates.”



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