Defying age, redefining songs

In this day and age when physical appearances and glamour matter more than talent in the music world, it’s easy for the public to forget what’s actually the most important about singing.

Thanks to the unique vision in the curation of the recent Singapore Arts Festival 2012, the Young @ Heart Chorus from Northampton, Massachusetts made their Southeast Asia debut in “End of the Road”.

Ironically their performance coincided with the weekend that Lady Gaga was giving three concerts and another classic American musical “A Chorus Line” was entertaining audiences a few kilometres away.

While the chorus, which celebrates their 30th anniversary this October, regularly performs in concerts – mostly in the US due to their travel restrictions – “End of the Road” can be viewed as a sung-through musical, with dozens of popular songs, from the 1930s to 2000s, woven together with poignant messages in the 80-minute show.

The set design suggested that it’s set in a bar where old folks from all walks of life meet and share what they have experienced through their long lives – both among themselves and with the audience.

No Theatre’s director Roy Faudree conceived the work and added simple yet practical blocking and characterisation to both accommodate the physical restrictions of each performer and the overall dramatic meaning of the work, focusing on the individual and the ensemble at the same time.

Of course, their singing voices have passed their prime, but the meanings they’re able to convey are matchless. This is probably due to the sheer passion they have for singing and the true experiences they share personally with the songs they render. Little surprise then that when they asked the audience to stand up and dance along, most of us were on our feet. And this wasn’t just to show support for these grannies and grandpas who had travelled halfway across the globe, but rather to celebrate our lives in the same way as they do.

For example, the show began with a solo of “What a Wonderful World”, then later featured another solo “Living Without You”, and later still Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” by the entire group, the songs’ meanings were significantly different from any other versions. They had become their versions - personal messages that were heartfelt and very much one of a kind.

I couldn’t help thinking of the number of young aspiring Thai singers who want to be part of “Academy Fantasia” as well as those who are arduously practising dance moves to land a spot on “Thailand’s Got Talent”. If these shows continue, the real professional artists who want to convey messages through their songs may never be able to make a decent living. 

Faudree, 65, said later, “This work is like a collage. We’re making the script out of the songs. We have this theory that the poets that we listen to now are the songwriters.”

Jeanne Hatch, 86, whose character of “a biker’s chick” and soulful rendition of “Living Without You” brought me to the brink of tears, told me a secret, “We work as a unit – we’re all in it together – but sometimes I need to fight my way to a microphone.” She also revealed that in the auditions, they simply look for “someone who can sing and who’s older than 73”.

“I think because we travel extensively, a lot of people want to be in the chorus. I never thought I’d be in Singapore, half way across the world and a great place for shopping. I love singing and if I get to sing and act [like in this show], it’s even better.”

Faudree added, “Because they’re all senior citizens, they have much more free time [than the younger professional artists] to work on non-commercial theatre projects. They’re also willing to be on time and highly disciplined.”

Faudree also credited his acting experience with the internationally acclaimed Wooster Group, “It’s a task-oriented way of working. You’re always aware of the theatrical presence onstage, instead of trying to create a certain persona.” 

“End of the Road” will be in Poland next month and Young @ Heart’s concerts will tour many Japanese cities in September.

Hatch said, “I love Japan because people are short and I’m short. It’s wonderful to look somebody eye to eye.”

Of course, I wish that the US Embassy here considered them – rather than say, Spider-Man, the Avengers or Lady Gaga – as cultural ambassadors and hence realised my dream of their long overdue Bangkok debut soon.

 

The writer’s trip was supported by National Arts Council of Singapore. 

 

SEE THE MOVIE

- You can find out more about the group by watching the documentary “Young @ Heart” on DVD. Visit www.YoungAt|HeartChorus.com for details.