ThreeDs

Like many others, I was quite struck by the viral youtube making its round in the internet, of a frumpy, middle aged lady looking 10 years older than her 48 years would suggest; coming onstage for Britain’s Got Talent show among jeers and snickers and completely sweeping away the audience and judges with her rendition of Les Miserables “I dreamed a dream”. No, this is not another post for Susan Boyle, but just a reminder that we all have certain prejudices towards people, without even knowing them. We put people in jars, in containers whether we’re conscious of it or not. I admit, I have a few: BMW drivers being reckless; mechanics are out to cheat us all the time etc. Our worldview is so small, it has a devastating effect on the way we deal with others.

Why not widen our views, and give extra grace because of what grace has been given to us? Ask God to increase our tolerance for others, to break us out of prejudices, to allow us to view each other as brothers and sisters, and to pursue peace with all men. I always think that conflict, like love, is a decision. We can choose to hold on to the bitterness of unforgiveness or relent and forgive each other…as Christ has forgiven us.

And back to Susan Boyle…I think her rendition of I dreamed a dream is probably one of the best I’ve heard, and mind you, I’ve heard a lot. I have several recordings of the original barbican, the broadway, the new casts, the australian cast etc. Patti LuPone is still the original Fantine and she has a great haunting voice, perfect for Fantine, but in terms of strength and power, Susan Boyle’s delivery is fantastic…especially when she hits that “And they turn your dreams to shame”, the toughest stretch of the song where she transposes. Most singers break at the last transposition, but hers didn’t. Of course, the song dynamics is a little different, i.e performance vs play but still it was close to call.

I’m a certified Les Miserables geek, so anyone who wants to discuss Les Mis with me, I am more than game! =)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 at 4:05 pm and is filed under Random Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.