Torrential rain, waterlogged roads, chaotic traffic…the inclement weather could not dampen the mood of the senior citizens who gathered recently at the Museum Theatre.
They were there to listen to Krishna Iyer and her troupe who presented a special show titled “Rewind…Sing-Along for Silver Citizens 09”. The hall may not have been packed but those who attended enjoyed themselves to the hilt, singing and clapping to the music. The singers were amateurs, but trained by Krishna Iyer to give a brilliant performance.
Krishna's Vocalz group comprises the children she trains. A singer herself, she has studied Western Classical music.
The idea for the Rewind show took shape after a senior citizen requested her to do something for the ‘silvers' — a departure from the Sing-Along shows Krishna does exclusively for young audiences.
Storyteller Jeeva, also a member of Krishna's group, got the evening off to a start in her inimitable style. Unlike the usual Sing-Along shows where children occupy centre stage, Rewind saw the parents of Krishna's students take this place. Naren Sankaran was outstanding in numbers such as ‘Summer Holiday', ‘Boom Boom' and ‘Baker Street', while Sumitha Menon's clear, well-modulated rendition of ‘Those Were the Days' took many in the audience down memory lane.The nostalgia trip continued with Rajesh Panchanathan singing “Rambling Rose”, “China Doll” and other yesteryear numbers.
The Vocalz junior and senior singers were obviously well-trained by Krishna as they effortlessly belted out old-time hits. With the lyrics appearing on the screen, singing along was easy. Some of the noteworthy performances were by Rithika Madira (she sang the song ‘Memory' from “Cats”), Krithika Nelson (‘Vacation') and Samyuktha Menon (‘Danny Boy'). The 14 singers had the crowd asking for more.
Encore, please
Ranjan Prasad, who had flown in from Kolkata just for the show, sang Besami Mucho and ‘Guantanamera' with such gusto that the audience began shouting for encores, Krishna's energy-packed performance (she sang Belafonte's timeless favourites ‘Havana Gila' and ‘Banana Boat Song'), evoked enthusiastic applause.
Dancing, singing and cracking jokes, she brought a delightful informality to the evening, drawing the audience closer to the performers.
Gerard Joseph (bass guitar), Pharez Edwards (lead guitar), Nelson Samuel (keyboard), Prabhu George (violin) and Enoch David (drums) provided lively support to the singers.
