話說,上星期六,英國的歐巴桑Susan Boyle以音樂劇《悲慘世界》裡的I Dreamed a Dream一夕間爆紅,拜網路的影像分享之賜,這世界上有電腦的人,都有機會知道她的名字。
看到Youtube影片的我,在電腦前想著:「終於有人把這曲子的滄桑感唱出來了!」
會這麼說,大概得先回到Les Mis的文本,I Dreamed a Dream是女主角Cosette的母親Fantine回首前生的感嘆,歌詞是:(大嬸有唱的部分標黑色)
There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting (過去,男人曾經和善,聲音溫柔,言語動聽。)
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting (過去,愛情是盲目的,世界是一首令人欣喜的歌。)
There was a time
Then it all went wrong (那樣的過去,最後只是一場錯誤。)
I dreamed a dream in time gone by (過去,我曾有過夢想,)
When hope was high (在希望無窮,)
And life worth living (和生命值得的時候。)
I dreamed that love would never die (我曾夢想愛情不會消逝,)
I dreamed that God would be forgiving (也曾夢想上帝寬恕包容。)
Then I was young and unafraid (那時的我年輕無懼,)
And dreams were made and used and wasted (可以恣意編織揮霍夢想,)
There was no ransom to be paid (也無罪可贖,)
No song unsung, no wine untasted (無歌不唱,無酒不飲。)
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder (但有著如雷般悅耳聲音的豺狼虎豹在夜晚來襲,)
As they tear your hope apart (撕裂妳的希望,)
And they turn your dream to shame (也讓夢想變成羞慚。)
He slept a summer by my side (一整個夏天,他睡在我身畔,)
He filled my days with endless wonder (每天賜我無窮盡的渴望;)
He took my childhood in his stride (我的童年亦步亦趨跟隨他,)
But he was gone when autumn came (但他卻在秋天來臨時離去。)
And still I dream he'll come to me (我仍夢想他能再來,)
That we will live the years together (一起度過餘生。)
But there are dreams that cannot be (但總有夢想不會實現,)
And there are storms we cannot weather (也總有我們無法承受的風雪。)
I had a dream my life would be (我曾夢想我生活的樣貌,)
So different from this hell I'm living (跟現在身處的地獄是如此不同,)
So different now from what it seemed (跟我曾有的想像也如此不同,)
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed. (現在的日子毀了我曾有的夢想。)
劇中Fantine的設定是一個年輕貌美,被情人玩弄背叛的未婚媽媽,所以扮演者也都是容貌姣好的女演員,跟蘇珊大嬸的外表有著很大的反差。也因為角色和歌曲的設定,I Dreamed a Dream的戲劇性極強,起於懷念,帶著羞愧的追憶,念念不忘,到最後接受現實心灰意冷,演唱者得一句一句琢磨舖成情感才出得來。不過,演員年輕,硬要她們表現過盡千帆的滄桑,真的很難。
(Les Mis的十週年紀念版,Fantine的扮演者是Ruthie Henshall。這場表演採靜態表演不走位,請到的幾乎都是Les Mis表演史上有名的人物。其DVD或CD應該是Les Mis迷的基本收集了吧!)
大嬸畢竟活了將近半百,即使沒談過戀愛沒接過吻,人生閱歷擺在那裡誰也拿不走,就算唱歌技巧沒有音樂劇演員好,情感不需要太灑狗血,直直白白地唱,就夠了。
不過,也許也是因為沒談過戀愛沒接過吻,即使有滄桑的感情,跟劇中心如死灰槁木的Fantine相比,卻還是隱隱帶著期待的火光啊!
表演結束後,毒舌的Simon問:「妳其實是隻老虎吧?」
(“You are a little tiger, aren’t you?”)
大嬸這麼可愛哪會是老虎呢?大嬸是隻悶了49年沒有舞台可以鳴的大鳥啊!
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