A Night with Ono

1st May 1945

One by one, in groups and in pairs, the seats in the gargantuan theatre filled. People were fiddling with their phones only to realise there was no reception while others, chatted incessantly with much anticipation for the singer who'd take stage. I sat there without much expectation for this lady and spent my moments observing the layout of the entire layout. I haven't quite had the opportunity to step into the esplanade theatre and appreciate it for some time so occupying top the circle was the perfect fit for such a moment. The metal tube-like objects stuck on the ceiling, the multiple doors of entry, the woody and soft feel, the stage set with the grand piano, guitar, cello and drum set all culminate to a feast to one's eyes.

Wait, there's still the feast to the ears. After the celloist, pianist and drummer took their place to a gentle applause, Lisa ono sauntered out to an even louder applause. It's her 3rd time in singapore performing. And she was performing not just for me but also for the japanese and brazilian ambassadors to singapore so she had better put up a good show.

It begun slow, lisa ono warming up her voice for the 1st 2 songs. But 3rd was my favourite- garota de ipanema (girl from ipanema). Play her youtube video and you'd know. It followed with a string of bossa nova standards. I couldn't quite recognise some and singing in portugeuse made me a little bored as i didn't understand the pieces. The first half of the show made me feel a little dissatisfied as it was a tad too anaesthetic. She was a sweetheart to the audience despite her limited vocab as she sounded so earnest and innocent, especially, when she pleaded with everyone not to go home during the break.

After the 20 minute interval, ono entered in a different eye-catching red dress, i suppose it somewhat signified a change in the genre of music in the 2nd half. The songs arranged were fast paced and this time, she got out of her seat next to the grand piano and swayed with her music. I broke out of my semi-conscious state and was absorbed in the contents. Her mellow and mellifluous voice enchanted the crowd. It came out stronger and more solid in the second half. Her rendition of "moon river" was amazing. Plus, i give much credit to the pianist who made the songs jazzy with his instrumental bridges.

So, i wasn't too surprised when she came back for 2 encores. She surmised this acoustic treat with "what a wonderful world". How apt.