'He fears that the real thing may have come along a hundred times, but he missed it.'
'Exactly. And how old are you?'
'Twenty.'
'Well...'
Yoran de Bont, participant in the Sondheim Musical Masterclass, talks to musical guru Frank Sanders about the meaning of the song he has just sung: Someone is waiting from the musical Company. As a young musical actor, can he make this kind of loaded text his own? With the right guidance certainly, it turns out after ten minutes of sparring with Sanders. 'The way you sing it now, it's girls. Make it horny women.' De Bont chuckles and puts on an impressive final performance. Full of longing, with a mischievous smile, he sings about the warmth of Susan and softness of Jenny. A remarkable difference from his first, sweet version. 'You have to keep it close to yourself,' Sanders explains. 'Otherwise, I don't hear drama and sadness. You have to see the women in front of you and be really devastated that you haven't found anyone yet. The song is yours now.'
The nine musical talents let this fact sink in during this crash course in musical vocal performance at the Stadsschouwburg. Today it is not about perfect singing, but about empathy. Who are you, what do you feel, what are your desires? The participants were allowed to choose their own song by Stephen Sondheim. Not easy, because his poetic lyrics are full of intense, conflicting feelings. 'And I still wanted a text that resonated with my world of experience,' says De Bont. 'Because I am single myself and do know the longing for being together, I chose this song. Still, at first I sang it too perfectly. I didn't dare let go of what it said. With the right questions from Frank, I got closer and closer to myself and my character. I found that very special. I interpreted the song in my own way. I had never done that before. It came in to me and therefore also to the audience.'
Another notable contestant is Karolien Torensma. She chose a song, sung by an elderly lady, about leaving her husband. 'Do you ever get taunted? By friends or family? Do you know that feeling?", Sanders asks her. She thinks for a moment and shakes no. 'I never actually get annoyed.' Still, she tries to empathise with a woman who for years - reluctantly - did everything for her husband. She starts off angry, gets angrier and angrier and ends convincingly as a very frustrated woman. The audience is silent. This makes her infinitely more engaging to watch and listen to than when she started. 'Apparently I know the feeling after all,' she observes afterwards. 'I just wasn't aware of it. Frank knew how to evoke it in me. He really triggers something in you.'
After an hour, when the master class is already over, the participants are far from finished. Yet they leave the theatre beaming because their new teacher has offered them a follow-up meeting. 'I enjoyed it myself. It was lovely,' says this one. 'It's nice to teach people other than my own students from the Academy again. What I did today is an important part of what I also teach them. Very difficult for young people, because they obviously have less life experience to draw from. Together we look for 'the key'. Is there something they recognise in the text that we can work with?' The actors do not have to become their characters, as is the case with method acting. But Sanders does want them to use personal memories when empathising. 'Working from a role, combined with personal involvement, makes you move people. So you have to dare to expose yourself a little. What I like about working with young people is that they often just do that. They go deep and show themselves. For example, I really liked how Karolien discovered today that she did know those negative feelings. I enjoy, every day, the open-mindedness and guts of my students.'
Sondheim Musical Masterclass by Frank Sanders. Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, Saturday 11 September.
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