Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends: New Worlds
14th November 2018
Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, New Zealand
Review by Hilaire Carmody. Photography by Alexander Hallag.
New Worlds is a concept that grew out of an unlikely partnership between comedian Bill Murray and world regarded classical cellist Jan Vogler. While taking their seats on a trans-Atlantic flight, Bill cracked a joke that Jan’s cello would have trouble fitting in the overhead locker. This quip started a deep and long ranging conversation between the two artists, and soon a friendship blossomed and an idea was born. To build a concert that puts together a collection of classical music, singing and literature that would reflect on “the great values of American culture.”
Paired with Chinese violinist Mira Wang (who is married to Vogler) and Venezuelan pianist Vanessa Perez, the quartet brings something unique to the stage. Classical compositions nudge up against poppy show tunes. Stephen Foster abuts Tom Waits and Gershwin while standing next to Schubert. Readings plunder the pages of the heralded American greats, Walt Whitman, James Fenimore Cooper, Hemingway and Mark Twain.
Heading into this performance, it would be suffice to say audiences were not sure what to expect. My fellow patrons, when asked if they were here for the comedy or the music, gave me bemused smiles and said they were here for both. The crowd itself was a strange hybrid. Half of the audience came in their suits and Sunday best and the other half were a cacophony of Hawaiian shirts, colourful sweaters and casual hipster wear.
We began with Bill Murray invoking Hemingway, “That cello—I played it worse than anyone on earth “, to be expertly cut off by Jan channelling Bach. Jan’s playing was so effortless and delicate it was as if he plucked raw emotion from the air. The evening rolled on with these contrasts. Murray’s dry irreverence and playful seriousness teased out poems in an unassuming Chicago accent. In the musical sections he sung off beat, reminding me of a drunkle that has taken over the Singstar at a family barbeque. Yet the limelight never fully settled on him as point perfect musicians came forward; coaxing out tones that defied their instruments of origin and drawing out sighs of adoration from the audience.
Though it may appear a discordant mishmash on paper, the concept worked. The unity of the concert came through not just what was spoken, sung and played. But how the group worked on stage. Murray, Vogler, Wang and Perez invited us to an intimacy grown from contrasts. In between the songs and poems we had flashes of the relationship between the performers. Murray and Wang danced a tango as if old lovers, Wang and Perez fooled around on the piano, playing chopsticks and other children’s favourites. There were moments of friendship and pure joy of sharing the stage together. They took us on a journey of emotions through wonder, love, loss, redemption, whimsy, nostalgia and finally landing in jubilance.
As they took their encore, Murray ran through the audience distributing roses, bringing the spotlight to the audience itself. And putting our incongruities aside we rose to our feet as one ugly hybrid beast and we stood together, we cheered together, we gave our adoration to the quartet together. As I left the auditorium the one comment I heard over and over again was “that was fun”.
Were you there at the Michael Fowler Centre to witness this special show? Or have you seen Bill Murray or Jan Vogler perform somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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