Braden River High spreads magic through cabaret show

By Liz Ramos
| 8:00 a.m. September 21, 2023

Gabriel Cortes, or in this case Kristoff, sings alongside his reindeer friend, Sven, while singing "Lost in the Woods."

East County
Schools

Gabriel Cortes, a Braden River High School senior, brought a little extra magic to the stage.

While performing "Lost in the Woods" from "Frozen 2," Cortes had back-up vocals from his sock puppet reindeer meant to be Sven from the movie.

The sock puppet reindeer was a last-minute addition to his performance during Braden River High School's Night of Magic cabaret show Sept. 20.

Cortes said he made the reindeer during dress rehearsals Sept. 19 and decided to add the lights just before the show.

In his final cabaret show, Cortes performed in five numbers, the most in which he's ever participated.

While Cortes and dozens of other students performed, children sang along in the audience.

"I love seeing the kids come and watch the magic we create," Cortes said.

Allee Owen, Ari Smith and Joshua Ogline throw their worries away while performing "Hakuna Matata."

The Night of Magic cabaret show is underway with a performance of "We Don't Talk about Bruno."

Charlotte Coats brings the character of Mirabel Madrigal to life during her performance of "Waiting on a Miracle."

Anya Zemple and Madison Ogline enjoy performing "Touch the Sky."

Emma Durrence, Raegan Caffrey, Mia Quickel and Nadia Getman have all the attitude necessary to be the Muses while singing "Zero to Hero."

Evanie Caballero shows off her moves while dancing to Will Smith's version of "Friend Like Me."

Zeke Lopez sings "Out There" from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Michelle Lupescu sings a solo, "The Next Right Thing," from "Frozen 2."

Michael Sandwall captures the goofy, lovable characteristics of Olaf during his performance of "In Summer."

Gabriel Cortes, or in this case Kristoff, sings alongside his reindeer friend, Sven, while singing "Lost in the Woods."

Isabella Oliveira brings the strength of Moana to the stage while performing "How Far I'll Go."

Hayleigh Vuong sings "I Won't Say I'm in Love" from "Hercules."

Students in the Braden River Dance Company bring back the feeling of summer while performing "Surf Crazy" from "Teen Beach Movie."

Danica Schmucker sings "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog."

Students perform an orchestral rendition of "How Far I Go" from "Moana."

Gabriel Cortes and Nadia Getman sing the duet "I See the Light" from "Tangled."

Emma Durrence showcases her range while singing "Where Do I Go from Here" from "Pocahontas 2."

Two best friends, Mike Wazowski and Sully, who are portrayed by Michael Sandwall and Jacob Mazzone, sing "If I Didn't Have You."

Alexandria Williams shines while dancing to "When We're Human: from "The Princess and the Frog."

Sophia Swim and Michelle Lupescu bring evil to the stage while singing "Evil Like Me."

Hayleigh Vuong portrays Belle while Zeke Lopez portrays the Beast during a performance of "Something There" from "Beauty and the Beast."

Gabriel Cortes, Raegan Caffrey, Emma Durrence and Nadia Getman remind the audience that love is something that will never change through their performance of "Some Things Never Change."

Emma Durrence and Gabriel Cortes kick off the Night of Magic cabaret show with "We Don't Talk about Bruno."

author

Liz Ramos

Managing Editor Liz Ramos previously covered education and community for the East County Observer. Before moving to Florida, Liz was an education reporter for the Lynchburg News & Advance in Virginia for two years after graduating from the Missouri School of Journalism.