Singing a jubilee note

It has, over the years, brought many a house down at the National Centre for Performing Arts. The Stop-Gaps Choral Ensemble is all set to do an encore. Their latest concert titled Widening the Street, to be performed this weekend, will feature songs from hit Broadway musicals, complete with costumes, set and choreography. “This is our 25th year and we wanted to do something different and universally appealing,” says Alfred D’souza who conducts the choir and under whose direction the choir has performed internationally.

Widening the Street, which is a play on the word Broadway, will feature two performances by the The Stop-Gaps Junior Chorus who will perform to Lion King and Oliver. “We will perform 10 musicals, each with their own custom-designed costumes and change of scenes,” informs D’souza, who designs the costumes and stage sets himself. For instance,

The Lion King musical will feature a jungle setting. The members will be wearing costumes and masks representing animals. Similarly, Oklahoma! will have the members in ball gowns; South Pacific will see the ladies in sarongs; Chicago will feature cabaret outfits and Rent will have a very modern look.

This 30-odd member choir blurs the gap between gender, faith and community. Aditya Iyer, a final year student of computer engineering joined the choir after his HSC exam. “My music teachers, who were members themselves, introduced me to the Stop-Gaps,” says this fan of gospel and choral music. A dedicated member, he juggles choir practices and college hours with ease. “There have many instances when I’ve given an exam in the morning and gone for the concert in the evening,” he says, adding that it never affected his grades.

Jean Turner, a stewardess with Air India has been with the choir for 17 years. “I have seen the choir evolve over the years. The best part is we do all kinds of music, be it classical, jazz, pop, rock or gospel music,” she says. A fan of musicals, she makes it a point to catch every summer special musicals on her trips abroad — like Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Chicago.

Farah Ghadiali, a marketing professional, joined the Stop-Gaps after a concert of theirs blew her away. “I enjoyed watching them perform and decided that I wanted to be a part of that group,” she says. Although rushing to evening practice is tough, she arranges her work so that she finishes it early.

For the Stop-Gaps Choir, who have represented India and competed with the best talent worldwide, performing at the Vatican, where they sang Happy Birthday as a special request for Pope John Paul II was the highpoint of their journey.

Widening the Street will be performed on Saturday and Sunday, October 3 & 4 at Tata Theatre, NCPA. Timings: 6.30pm. Contact 6622 3724.