When all seems wrong with the world, trust Bill Murray to make it right again.
Accompanied by renowned cellist Jan Vogler and their friends Mira Wang on violin and Vanessa Perez on piano, the unlikely ensemble provided a guided tour through the canon of American literature seamlessly interwoven with an inspired selection of musical vignettes from Bach through to Gershwin and Van Morrison.
It was, undoubtedly and without reservation, one of the most enriching and uplifting evenings in recent memory.
The lights at QPAC's Concert Hall (16 November) dimmed on an audience brimming with anticipation for what the evening may entail and the instantly recognisable voice of Bill Murray announced: “Good evening Brisbane, I’m Jan Vogler,” at once eliciting a round of laughter as the ensemble took the stage.
Image © Ophelia Symons
The musicians at their stations, Bill approached the lectern and began reading an excerpt from ‘Conversations With Ernest Hemingway’ in which the interviewer enquires as to whether Hemingway ever played a musical instrument; he in fact played cello, in his words “…worse than anyone on Earth”.
Meanwhile, the words of one of the great American authors were poignantly counterpointed by a stirring solo from Jan.
The subdued tone of the evening was set with a reading from Walt Whitman’s ‘Song Of Myself’ after which Bill wryly informed us that although the worst of it was over, now was the time to go. Those in the audience who had come expecting Bill to do bits from 'Saturday Night Live' or ‘Caddyshack’ seemed momentarily tempted, but refrained.
Ever the showman, Bill’s vocal delivery ranged from the lurching sway of Gershwin’s ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ to a stirring and emotive rendition of ‘When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God’ by Van Morrison.
The evening continued with more readings of American literature both traditional and contemporary, including ‘Forgetfulness’ by Billy Collins and an excerpt from ‘The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn’ complete with Southern accents and bookended by the strains of ‘Moon River’.
The programme was rounded out by a medley of Leonard Bernstein classics from ‘West Side Story’ in ‘Somewhere’, ‘I Feel Pretty’ and ‘America’, before taking a bow and briefly leaving the stage.
Image © Ophelia Symons
They returned to rapturous applause for an extended encore that included a sing-along to ‘The Bonnie Banks O’ Loch Lomond’, ‘My Girl’ and ‘The Way It Is’, before Bill wraps a big ribbon on the evening with a reading of ‘Blessing The Boats’ by Lucille Clifton.
During the final applause, a ballerina entered and presented Bill with a bunch of red roses that he threw at braying audience members as he dashed madly around the theatre.
Though there were moments of light comedy – such as his rendition of ‘The Piano Has Been Drinking’ that had all the hallmarks of his Nick The Lounge Singer persona – the show is less ‘Meatballs’ and much more ‘Lost In Translation’ in the best way possible.
It’s little wonder Bill Murray attracts an almost universal appeal that borders on cultish: aside from his delightful self-referential cameos and well-publicised penchant for popping up where you least expect him, he just has a natural gift for making you feel good. To shamelessly quote Emma Stone in ‘Zombieland': “The man has a direct line to my funny bone.”
‘New Worlds’ is Bill Murray in a nutshell – an unexpected delight; a performance so beyond conventional description even Whitman and Hemingway themselves would struggle to find the words to adequately convey the singular experience of such an evening.
