I went to a concert a couple months ago that was really disappointing. Basically, these two Broadway divas took turns performing well-beloved songs that other famous divas were known for. The programming of the concert was actually very impressive, but the actual concert just wasn't.
The biggest problem I had was with the singers. I did not believe a single word they sang. These were all passionate songs famously performed by very strong women with commanding stage presence, but the divas at the concert I attended sang them like pop songs. It was all surface and no substance. All the way through, I couldn't help but feel that they knew the words, but they didn't feel the meaning.
Performing anything is actually difficult. It is a learned skill and one that needs to be practiced and trained. Just because you can write powerful words does not mean you can speak them just as evocatively. However, if you are going to perform something, it is essential that you immerse yourself in it.
Again, it is more than just the words. It's their meaning, their subtext, the greater context of everything else going on. And you have to do better than simply knowing these things. You have to feel them. You have to embrace them. You have to live in the words you perform.
To do anything less is to present a hollow shell to your audience.
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