Nursery Rhymes Like You've Never Heard Them Before

Edward Reid Sings Nursery Rhymes to Run backing...

No sooner had he auditioned to that standing ovation than Edward Reid was accused of plagiarism by Frisky and Mannish, a cabaret act whose repertoire includes this:

Frisky and Mannish: "Wheels on the Bus"
(View on YouTube)

So you tell me, is it plagiarism to adapt a concept? Reid's style is not cabaret while that style defines what Frisky and Mannish do. Reid's music selection is not the same as Frisky and Mannish's. And his selection of nursery rhymes and children's songs overlaps only on "Old MacDonald" (with a different animal) and one phrase from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Is that plagiarism?

And does it even matter? Reid was auditioning for Britain's Got Talent. Is one expected to use original material for such an audition? It was clear that he was singing to the backing music of Snow Patrol's "Run". And he clearly was not claiming to have written the words to "Old MacDonald", "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", "Humpty Dumpty", and "If You're Happy and You Know It" - any more than Frisky and Mannish wrote the material they mashed up into their parody version of "Wheels on the Bus".

Just enjoy each for its own qualities. Both are fun - though Frisky and Mannish's cabaret style doesn't do anywhere near as much for me as Edward Reid's audition does...