Dubbed the coolest show ever by the likes of Jimmy Fallon, Voca People is back in Malta. Nadette Bugeja interviews musical director Shai Fishman.

Shai Fishman, co-creator of Voca People.

How did the Voca People show come about?

Lior Kalfo, the director of the show, approached me about four years ago with an idea for an a cappella and beatbox show. I am a great fan of a cappella, and vocal arrangements are one of my strengths, so I jumped at the opportunity. We spent a long time figuring out how to make this show unique, since we knew there were a lot of wonderful a cappella groups out there, such as Take 6 and Naturally 7.

Slowly, we began to develop a new concept for the arrangements. I didn’t want Voca to have a classic a cappella sound, but preferred to preserve and accentuate the original arrangements and well-known musical riffs of popular songs.

In a sense, I wanted the the show to have a musical language of its own, with the performers having their own way of simulating guitars, brass, percussion, drums and bass. This, combined with the show’s storyline, is what made this project so innovative.

What exactly is vocal theatre? Does it represent a new genre?

The show contains a combination of medleys, composed of popular classic hits. However, it also has a frame story and some audience interaction – it is really comedy theatre performed in a musical manner.

The show offers a great way of shifting the focus of the a cappella technique, so that it becomes much more than just singing. We achieve this through a simple, yet captivating story, in which music becomes the language that bridges the gap between cultures. It does represent a new genre, because you are experiencing a show, listening to music and getting to know the characters in a comic story. The audience gets to enjoy over 70 songs without hearing (almost) any words in its mother tongue. It’s quite special.

How important is humour to the show?

If music is a pill you swallow, humour is the water you drink to make it go down smoothly. Naturally, the balance is greatly in favour of the music, but there’s just enough humour there to make you feel like you’re not just at a concert.

Can you describe the show in one paragraph?

I knew I was taking a risk by tackling songs most arrangers wouldn’t dare to touch, because they will inevitably be compared to the originals

The show tells the story of a group of aliens from planet Voca who are searching for musical energy from around the cosmos. They end up crashing on planet Earth. For the Voca people, life is music and music is life. Music equals energy; to go back home they need to repair their spaceship, and music is the only way for them to recharge it. They need to learn and perform music from our world, in order to allow them to absorb the energy they need. While they do this, the audience experiences an elaborate and memorable run-down of over 70 of earth’s greatest songs, performed live, on stage, with no instruments and no sound effects.

Why choose a cappella? Don’t you miss musical instruments on stage?

We definitely do not miss musical instruments. I love a cappella, and the challenge it takes to bring these incredible songs to life. It’s always exhilarating for me to see people watching the show in disbelief that it is all totally live, with no instruments at all.

What is beatbox?

This is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one’s mouth, lips, tongue and voice.

Why combine a cappella, a relatively ancient genre, with the modern art of beatbox?

Part of being current is utilising many art forms and fashioning them into a new one. I think a cappella is very well-complemented by beatbox, since traditionally it lacks a rhythm section.

How do you explain the revived interest in a cappella?

The modern art of beatbox has been developing at an incredible pace for the past 10 years. Combined with the power of YouTube, it has opened people’s minds to new ways of vocal expression. Technology now enables everyone to create great things in the comfort of their home. Voca People, as a show, is doing its part to inspire other artists.

Why is the show all about popular music and not based on an original score?

I wanted the show to strike a chord with anyone who watches the show, from a kid in China, to a grandfather in Greece. I was going for the most well-known, critically acclaimed artists and their songs.

I knew I was taking a risk by tackling songs most arrangers wouldn’t dare to touch, because they will inevitably be compared to the originals. With songs by the Beatles, Queen and Michael Jackson, I knew that unless I created an arrangement that balanced my ideas with the magic of the originals, I’d be looking at definite failure.

There’s also something wonderful that happens when the audience knows the song, even before a word has been sung, because the arrangement is so exact and true to the original. They thoroughly enjoy it, because they are more involved.

How does the audience react to the show? Have you ever experienced a difficult audience that didn’t get it?

The audience tends to be mesmerised. They do not stop laughing and they always walk out singing. Most of them have a hard time believing that everything they see is performed live, but that just makes them more excited, because it really is live. They just don’t understand how we do it. We have never had a difficult audience. They always give us a standing ovation, sing with us, jump with us and go home happy, singing and floating on air. It’s really a carefree 90 minutes. How often do you get to have that nowadays?

The performers are often described as acrobats of cords. why?

Because the ordinary singer typically cannot do what these performers do, and hold it for so long. Performers need to be excellent singers/beat boxers to be in perfect harmony with the other singers, to imitate different kind of musical instruments and to do all of this while dancing and moving for an hour and a half, no intermission.

Is the show targetted to a praticular age group?

It was created for grown-ups, but kids adore it. There are no language barriers, so kids from around the age of five can enjoy it, and you often see a grandson and grandfather walking out smiling together, as music and humour bridge not just cultures, but also age differences.

Voca People takes place on Friday, Saturday and next Sunday at the Malta Fairs and Conferences Centre, Ta’ Qali. Tickets are available from the MFCC and from Charles Grech’s outlets in Valletta, Sliema, Birkirkara, Ta’Xbiex and Bugibba.

www.mfcc.com.mt