In this often too bleak world we occasionally stumble upon something quite heartwarming. This happened to me while watching "The Voice Kids Philippines 2015" during the summer. In the episode that captured my heart, 11 year-old Jhyleanne Rington of Marilao, Bulacan, Philippines approaches the three judges for her blind audition with the song "On My Own" from the musical "Les Misérables."
The twist is one of the judges was Jhyleanne's idol, Lea Salonga, world renowned singer, Broadway Star, Philippine National Treasure, Disney Princess ... and an artist who credits "On My Own" as the song that changed her life.
Now, I know it's risky to offer up something from pop culture, reality television. We have been inundated with this type of content, and so often it is trite dross. But this scene struck me as different. This was magic ... this felt special.
Just to prepare you, the sequence itself contains some Tagalog without subtitles, but it is mixed with enough English so if you aren't a Tagalog speaker you can still follow what's going on in the scene.
So, the stage is set, and with her family watching from the Green Room, Jhyleanne issues her challenge.
Why do I find this special enough to divert myself from political rantings? There were so many little elements that struck me as amazing. First, by selecting "On My Own", Jhyleanne narrowed the pool of judges who would seriously consider her from three to one. Quite a brave move. The other judges Sarah Geronimo and Bamboo are icons in Philippine entertainment as well ... but once they recognized "On My Own", it was clear Lea would make the call on Jhyleanne's fate.
To quote Sarah Geronimo when she recognized the song, "Wow."
The way Sarah and Bamboo were focused on Lea's reaction, as much as Jhyleanne's singing, conveyed they knew this one was personal. The arc of Lea's reaction to the audition throughout was priceless, as was the way she battled with her decision ... just singing the song wasn't going to win her, the 11 year old Jhyleanne had to do Lea's song justice. The little face of Jhyleanne's sister, at the bottom of the screen with her parents in the Green Room, exhibiting a roller coaster of emotion as her sister was engaged in her trial was sure indication she was her big sister's biggest fan. Bamboo and Sarah ultimately accepting Jhyleanne at the invitation of Lea's disembodied voice (interesting sound editing) when they knew they had no chance at being chosen as Jhyleanne's coach was a kind gesture, and suspension of the star's egos. Lea's one-on-one coaching session with its "ah, so you picked THAT song, did you?" feel, was firm but sweet, and the insight as how a singer should approach "On My Own" was a window into Lea's artistry. All in all, the little pieces of this scene had a magical, love filled quality and created special moment in time I appreciated, and wanted to share ... and so here we are.
Hopefully, I haven't analyzed the heart out of the thing. I want to thank you for indulging me, and as a reminder (and a treat), below you will find the judge Brave Jhyleanne Rington sought to impress ....
Important side note: Lea Salonga is back on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre with George Takei's Musical "Allegiance", so if you have a chance you should go see her perform in this talented cast.