Young at Heart

Looking for a formula to revolutionize lives, no matter how old and worn down they might be; to rebuild community, no matter how scattered and fragmented it’s become; to win enormous public respect? And best of all, to let people burdened by illness and loss of loved ones find faith in themselves and in something much bigger and wider?

It’s simple. Get people together to sing.

What’s not so simple is choosing what and how they sing. This film tells you the way to go about it.

A quirky but brilliantly assembled documentary by British film maker Stephen Walker, it tells the true story of a choir in Northampton, Massachessetts, that Stephen saw perform in London during one of their several European tours.

He was so taken with what he heard that he followed the life of the choir back home, and in their homes, intimately over a year or more.

And it’s a choir unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Only a few of the singers have any obvious musical talent. The liveliest member who does most of the talking is 92.

They are as diverse and contrary a bunch as any Anglican congregation, except they’re older ( if you can believe that) than most of our parishioners. The average age is 81.

What they do have, to a degree that shames most of us, is commitment. They follow a punishing practice schedule, and keep turning up in all sorts of weather, despite all sorts of medical conditions that make it hard for some of them to stand or breathe.

And they work together with such robust good humour and rugged respect for and pride in each other that it’s a joy to watch them rehearse, let alone perform in public.

So what’s the secret, apart from that commitment? Well, it’s leadership for a start. A remarkable musical director Bob Cilman who believes his elderly team can do anything and sets standards way beyond what is sensible and reasonable.

And then there are a handful of very good voices sprinkled amongst lots of not so good singers who carry and lift the quality and the ambition of the music.

Finally, most importantly, is what the choir sings.

Not golden oldies or Moody and Sankey hymns but hard rock, punk rock and body bending, torso twisting rock ‘n roll. Not the quiet music of retirement homes but the repertoire of ear splitting, crowd swaying youth festivals and dance till you drop raves and all night gigs. It’s the sounds of Sonic Youth this choir recreates, singers like James Brown and Mick Jagger, pumped out with all the passion and energy of the best of big stage performers.

It’s one thing to hear and see body beautiful 20 year olds sing “Yes you can” and “I feel good”. It’s quite another to see these bent up, well worn old people do it, even as their friends and fellow choristers are dying around them.

They are never quite the same, having sung what they sing, and nor are we who listen and wonder in the darkened movie theatre.

If church was ever like this, we’d have to create waiting lists to manage the crowds.