Arts & Entertainment

Singer Trades Supermarket for the Stage

A familiar, friendly face at Kings, James Cutler will perform Feb. 29 at Morristown's Got Talent.

If you're a regular shopper at , you probably already know James Cutler.

A longtime employee for the supermarket chain–and an employee at the Morristown location for 12 years–Cutler will look a bit different come Wednesday night, when he trades his work duds for a tuxedo and performs in . The 52-year-old Newark resident will sing Lou Rawls' "You'll Never Find a Love Like Mine."

It's a "third time's the charm" scenario for Cutler, who first tried out three years ago, when the contest was first opened also to people who work in Morristown, Morris Township or Morris Plains.

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"Oh, it's a wonderful feeling," Cutler said on his first selection to the finals in three tries. "At first, I didn't realize I had made it."

Singing is nothing new for Cutler, who said he has crooned "just about all my life."

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It is, however, his first time singing before an audience. While that's got him a bit nervous, Cutler called it a positive nervous energy.

"This is huge for me," he said, noting a lot of customers, ranging from adults all the way down to little children, have been regularly coming into the store and encouraging his first foray onto the stage. "They have been supportive from day one," Cutler said. "You can't beat that with a stick."

While the singer hopes to be selected one of the top three for the night–with prizes ranging from $250 to $1,000–he's not particularly worried if he doesn't. "If I don't win this, I'll just come back next year," Cutler said. "Keep hope alive."

In the end, Cutler said he is just feeling really good about the whole experience, with the help of a lot of friends. 

"If I could, I'd bottle this and give it to everyone I know," he said. "Words can't express how good I feel right now."

 will be held Feb. 29 at the . For more information, check out our MGT 2012 guide.


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