Not too many days ago (or it might have been years) I talked
about the music on my island.
There is always music in my life, whether it is playing on a
speaker or I am creating it myself. One of my responses to the humdrum of the
lockdown has been to sing more (and snarl less). But I also complained that
singing for myself is a lonesome thing.
I am thrilled to report that arts and performance have
overcome even isolation. Credit where it is due, the most prominent music has
come from clever televised programs such as Sir Elton John’s and James
Corden’s, where remote cameras brought intimate performances direct from
artist’s homes. The performances served not only to entertain, but to reinforce
that even celebrities are affected by this crisis and that even they are
complying with the sensible restrictions that communities have imposed.
Even before those specials aired, the grassroots elements
had brought performance to the forefront. Artists professional and amateur have
delivered performances either recorded as rehearsals or more recently as
brilliantly conceived online collaborations (the magic of the Zoom revolution).
There have been choirs, string quartets, jazz bands and a whole raft of other
collaborative efforts presented on Facebook (and I presume other social media
which I frequent less).
This weekend, we were even treated to the Bard, as theater
artists-in-exile from Elon University Performing Arts presented Hamlet At Home,
possibly the first socially distanced performance in history of the immortal
play. The young actors were courageous and inspired, with spirited and moving
performances across the board. The pacing, for a distantly acted show, was
amazing – a magnificent exercise in anticipatory acting. And I love the thought
of Hamlet’s father’s ghost stopping to sign in to Zoom before commencing his
haunting. There is a short story in that scenario, to be sure. The recording of
this marvelous production is available at Elon Performing Arts. (Special thanks
to dear friend Grace for bringing the show to my notice).
For sheer simple loveliness, I give a shoutout to my dear
friend and singing buddy, Will Mc, who has nightly ukulele singalongs on this
medium. He is now seventeen or eighteen half-hour livecasts in, and he brings a
homey simplicity to his parlor performance that is both inviting and
transcending. The anodyne of his mixture of old favorites and original pieces
from his brilliant cabaret career is a wonderful reminder of the humanity of
the world. It will take more than closed doors and physical distancing to stop
the music.
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