Young @ Heart Chorus seniors to rock the house

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Young @ Heart Chorus — average age is 77 — from Massachusetts will perform twice at the Hawai'i Theatre.

The Young @ Heart Chorus began more than 20 years ago in an housing project for the elderly in Northampton, Mass.

These days, performers in the 35-member company come from towns in the Northampton area. The average age is 77. The youngest is 72. They just lost a performer who was 100.

The company will play for two nights in Honolulu on their way back from performing in Australia. The show isn't a play; It's all music and no dialogue. But director Bob Cilman says it's not a concert either. He calls it "performance art," and he smiles, as if he knows that sounds dangerous.

"These folks are just folks. They're not studied theater people. They have the ability to be themselves on stage, and that's what makes them so engaging," Cilman says.

Cilman, who has been with the company from the beginning though he is not a senior citizen, is responsible for the musical choices. He's partial to punk, but he says the performers are willing to try anything.

"As one person said at one time," says company member Janice St. Laurence, "this is the kind of music we made our kids turn off! But now we love it."

The Young @ Heart Chorus performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday at the Hawai'i Theatre; Tickets are $45, $40 and $30; discounts available for seniors and students. Information: 528-0506.