Episode 3 The Big Performance

Ten kids, terrified of singing in public...

Hey! Don't cry.

-What's happened?

-I don't want to do it.

Two soloists, Chris and Oli.

..must undergo the toughest performance challenges...

-You must be extra nervous?

-Aaargh!

I'm still shaking. I don't know why.

..to face their ultimate fear...

CROWD CHEERS

..singing to a crowd of 40,000 people.

There's enough people there to eat you alive.

I can't explain how I feel. Just really scared.

Could you do it?

This is The Big Performance.

# Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

# Ooh-ooh-ooh

# Yeah

# Ooh-ooh-ooh

# Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah... #

In just eight weeks,

these ten boys and girls will be performing at one of Britain's

biggest outdoor concerts, Proms In The Park.

Only one man can make this happen,

award-winning choirmaster Gareth Malone.

I find it really upsetting when young people say that they can't sing.

I really want to change that.

To build their confidence, he's taking this desperately shy group

on a musical journey around the country,

all on board their very own luxury tour bus.

Last week they stopped at Bournemouth.

The group attempted a Michael Jackson classic.

-Hard.

-It's not hard.

But extreme stage fright threatened their first performance.

Hey, hey, I don't want you to cry.

Today, the kids must sing in front of professional entertainers.

-CRYING:

-I don't want to do it.

# Somewhere over...

Can a real-life Dorothy save the day?

You CAN sing, Chloe.

You really need to believe in yourself now.

The Big Performance tour bus is heading west to Somerset,

and the seaside town of Minehead.

Each week, one of the group has to try out for the coveted solo spot.

Whose turn is it today?

Right, everybody. Today, the soloist this week is...

Chloe.

NERVOUS LAUGHTER

My favourite type of music is hip-hop.

The favourite place I like to sing is in my bedroom in the mirror.

My favourite song is JLS, The Club Is Alive With The Sound Of Music.

Local girl Chloe proved to Gareth she can sing during her debut solo.

# Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air... #

But she was too scared to acknowledge the audience.

# I know I can count on you... #

To help Chloe find the confidence to engage with the audience,

Gareth's decided this week's musical challenge is show tunes.

Chloe's got bags of personality, lots of sparkle in real life.

But as soon as she gets on stage that all seems to disappear.

So I think show tunes is perfect.

I think I'm going to give it a good try,

but it's going to be really hard.

What I'm looking for is stage presence, cos show tunes is all about

really putting on a big show, giving it loads of energy.

Today's stop on the tour bus is the holiday resort of Butlins,

where Gareth hopes the group will learn all about show tunes

from the experts. But he's got to get them in the right mood first.

Who wants to go on a ride?

-ALL:

-Me!

Good luck! Have a great time!

Oh, my goodness! It looks awful!

SCREAMING

-Again!

-Again?

-Yeah!

-Again!

-You're mad.

They're so excited, they're delirious.

And they've got this energy because we're here,

and they need to put that into their singing.

I've brought you here because I want you to learn about show tunes,

and these guys really know about stage presence. Take a look at this.

# You can't stop an avalanche

# As it races down the hill

# You can try to stop the seasons, girl

# But you know you never will... #

These professional entertainers are required to put on

a high-energy performance like this in front of thousands of guests

numerous times a day.

# ..my way

# You can't stop the beat... #

What's wonderful about these guys is that they know how to turn it on

and give it all their energy.

# You can't stop the motion of the ocean or the sun in the sky... #

I really hope we'll get a more energetic performance today,

because last time they were really inhibited and very scared,

and I want them to enjoy it.

# You can't stop the beat

# Stop the beat! #

That is what I expect from you when you perform

in here to a group of them.

So far, the trainee singers have sung in front of each other...

# Where with love... #

..and Gareth's old school choir.

# Can you feel it?

# Can you feel it...? #

But this will be their first professional audience.

Chloe, you've got the solo.

-Are you going to be able to match that level of pizzazz?

-No.

No?

After seeing the performance,

it's made me feel even more nervous about singing.

For their performance later today

in front of the professional entertainers,

the group will be singing a well-known show tune.

# ..tip of the lips. #

OK. The song is from one of, probably,

the most famous musical ever written, The Wizard Of Oz,

If I Only Had A Heart.

-That's by the Tin Man.

-By the Tin Man, exactly.

Stand up and do all that for me.

One, two, three.

# When a man's an empty kettle... #

If I Only Had A Heart tells the story of the Tin Man.

It's a tough song to sing. They need to deliver it with stage presence,

and rather appropriately, heart.

# ..if I only had a heart. #

I am a bit disappointed about the song,

cos I'm not a quiet person and I like just to dance a bit.

It's not exactly a song that you can jump around to.

It's really important that you take it seriously

and you try it, and you don't give it half energy.

Look how much energy I'm giving, and I get back maybe this much.

Really need loads of energy. One, two, three.

# Just because I'm presuming... #

I think they've learnt from seeing the professionals.

I think they know what they need to do,

but they can't yet bring themselves to do it.

Gareth's determined to find out who isn't putting in the effort.

I'd like to hear "picture me" from different people. Here we go.

Chloe, on your own. One, two, three.

# Picture me, a balcony. #

Jordan, on your own.

-# Picture me, a balcony. #

-Emily and Isthaque together.

# Picture me... #

'They are still so nervous, they're so timid.

'And that means they have no presence whatsoever.'

They're not able to just sing out, and stand up, and relax.

Oli and Katie.

# Picture me, a balcony. #

-Katie, were you singing?

-I was whisper singing.

It's show tune week. I need to hear it.

Last week, Katie finally overcame her extreme shyness,

and shone in her solo performance.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Today, it looks like she's back to square one.

Katie, I heard you screaming at the top of your lungs on the fairground.

I know you can do it. Let's hear it.

Two, three.

GARETH PLAYS THE TUNE ON PIANO

Why do you think I want you to sing it?

-Why do you think I want you to go? Because I'm mean?

-Yeah!

No. I want to see that you can do it. One, two, three.

-WHISPERS:

-# Picture me, a balcony. #

-Louder!

-I'm done. I'm finished. I've done it.

I mean, Katie, I thought we'd got over that,

got to the point where she could sing in front of everyone. Flat refusal.

If people say, "I'm not going to sing," the whole thing falls apart.

-If we're here till 4.00pm...

-Can I do it with someone?

-No. I'm going to hear it.

-It's not fair.

-VERY QUIETLY:

-# Picture me, a balcony. #

-There, I'm done.

-OK. We'll leave it there.

'I think this week I've taken a few steps back,

'because it's not a great song for me as a person.

'But I don't want to let anybody down.'

Katie's nerves have a domino effect on the rest.

I'm going to basically lose my friends.

You're going to lose all your friends? Do you really think...

-I'm getting more friends because of this.

-Of course you are!

You are going to get so much respect for doing this,

so much respect, I promise you.

Are you going to be so put off by those people saying,

"Oh, I don't think Oli SHOULD sing," that you're not going to do this?

Well, I don't think I'll have any friends left.

I know that you're afraid about this, but the best way

for you to counteract this fear is to go for it.

One, two, three!

# Picture me, a balcony

-# Above a voice sings low... #

-Look involved!

'My biggest problem is that they are'

so worried about what's going to happen to them later on that

they can't concentrate on learning the song. There's so much work to do.

It's a difficult song. They've got to work hard,

but if they're spending time worrying, they'll never get there.

# ..I would stay young and chipper... #

'It's all about confidence, and at the moment,

'I don't have much of that.'

I don't think singing is the done thing for boys.

No offence, Gareth.

# Picture me, a balcony... #

In eight weeks, the group will be singing to 40,000 people

at Proms In The Park.

One of them will be picked to sing the solo.

# ..how sweet! #

Today it's Chloe's turn to try out for the spot.

-Hi, Chloe.

-Hiya.

-How are you?

-Good, thank you.

Gareth will be judging her chances later today

as high, medium or low.

When Gareth first met Chloe, she was so nervous,

she couldn't even finish her audition song.

# Gonna run while we're young and keep the faith. #

I don't want to do no more.

Just a tiny bit more? No? Too scared?

Yeah. Really scared.

Ready, and...

HE PLAYS THE PIANO AS CHLOE SINGS AN ARPEGGIO

Gareth believes Chloe has real potential

and has picked a special role for her solo spot.

How do you feel about playing Dorothy?

Well excited, because I didn't exactly want to be a Tin Man!

-So, Dorothy better than Tin Man?

-Yeah.

We are singing the Tin Man song, but I think it'd be nice

if, in our performance, you're Dorothy

-and everyone else is a Tin Man.

-OK.

-Let's try it.

# Said a tin man rattling his gibs

# To a straw man Sad and weary-eyed... #

Chloe's got bags of personality,

and at the moment she is frozen and terrified,

and I want to loosen her up and get her enjoying herself.

Gareth has a plan to transfer

some of her sparkly personality into her performance.

..you are a children's entertainer and I want you to tell me the words

and I want you to imagine that I'm five.

-LOUDER AND CLEARER:

-# Said a tin man rattling his gibs

# To a straw man sad and weary-eyed... #

After her earlier misgivings about the song,

Chloe's finally starting to forget her nerves and have fun.

-What's this with the feet? You want to move, don't you?

-No!

Let's move around. Let's do it together.

# Said a tin man rattling his gibs... #

'Here, Chloe puts in loads of personality,'

but if the rest of the group, with their rather terrified attitude,

drag her back down,

then we're going to lose a great opportunity to lift everyone up.

When you give it a little sparkle,

and your eyes and your face come alive,

you are SO engaging. Everyone will want to watch you.

-You need to put all of that bubbly personality into your singing.

-OK.

Can you do it?

How will Chloe cope with Gareth's next challenge -

singing in front of the coolest boys in her school?

-Who's this?

-My school mates and a boy in Year Nine.

A first-rate show-tune performance

needs more than just catchy lyrics.

It's about putting on a show, and you can't do that if you're not moving.

They need to learn choreography.

I want this to be exciting, to draw in the audience.

Gareth has called in top dance teacher Lizzi Gee.

-Hello!

-Hello!

Former choreographer for the musical Billy Elliot,

Lizzi has the perfect credentials

to help the group find their dancing feet.

Know much about the Tin Man?

-No.

-OK, he's made by a tinsmith and they forgot to put a heart in him

when he was made, which is why he sings this song.

When it rains, he rusts, like you do if you're tin -

you would rust if it rains.

Armed with suitable props,

Lizzi has devised a routine to bring their performance to life.

Dorothy, you've got to come along and make this Tin Man come to life.

Help him, because he's been like this for years!

Fingers are going! Very good!

Then try and move that part. That's the one.

It's like robotics. Very good.

The thing about musical theatre is you add choreography

and acting and movement and mime sometimes,

so if you took the lyrics out, you could

still understand what they're portraying.

ALL: # I'd be tender, I'd be gentle

# And awful sentimental

# Regarding love and art

# I'd be friends with the sparrows and the boy who shoots the arrows

# If I only had a heart. #

We need to do it with our voices, though.

That's the hard thing about when you're doing musicals.

It's not just singing and standing there on your own.

You have to learn the acting and the singing. It's four

or five different things you have to do at the same time.

Put it together, make a performance and take in the audience.

'It's hard trying to mix'

the words in with the moves,

because you're going to do one thing and another

and it's multitasking, and I'm not very good at that.

LIZZIE: Imagine the birds.

The song before we put the choreography in was like,

"Yawn! Only had a heart." But now we've got choreography,

we can really express the emotions in the song.

# ..how sweet! #

Lizzie's taught them a routine that helps them with the story,

gets them in the mind of the Tin Man and Dorothy

and also helps with the words. It's taking them through step by step.

-ALL: # If I only had a heart. #

-A nice bow at the end.

Very good! Well done!

To really bring the performance to life,

Gareth wants the group to discover the magic behind the Wizard Of Oz.

I've got someone to help us. This person got to the final

of BBC's Over The Rainbow,

and she knows an awful lot about The Wizard Of Oz.

-Shall we go and meet her? ALL:

-Yeah!

Come on! Let's go!

-This is Sophie.

-Hi, guys.

Hello!

Sophie Evans became a household name overnight

when she wowed Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber and the judges

on the hit BBC show Over The Rainbow.

# When all the world is a hopeless jumble... #

Sophie spent ten weeks singing live in front of millions of viewers

and knows all about performance nerves.

Stage presence is very important,

and it's something I've struggled with,

so I know exactly how the children are feeling,

and it's something you need to have because it allows the audience

to see that you are owning that stage.

# Somewhere over the rainbow... #

She's only five years older than

some of them, and she's been through it.

She understands what it's like to be criticised and then fight back

and find your confidence in a public arena.

# ..once in a lullaby. #

Stage presence has been the main theme today.

You've got to remember to connect with the audience

and bring them into your performance

and be confident and show them why you love singing

and why they should be watching and paying attention to you.

-That's why, when she is singing, you want to watch, don't you?

-Yeah.

She stands there and thinks, "I can do this."

You should be doing the same.

-You should be feeling...

-I can't sing.

-You CAN sing, Chloe. You can.

You can sing. You really need to believe in yourself now.

To realise that she's a real person just like them

with real fears I think was really useful.

I hope that they will now realise that they can do it too.

So Chloe, I know you've got a solo performance later on,

so I just want to tell you that Andrew always told me

to lose your inhibitions

and completely indulge yourself in the stage.

Try not to be nervous

and really prove to those professional entertainers

that you are brilliant and you can sing.

I'm supporting you, if that helps.

So, just remember that you can do this, and you'll be fantastic.

Thanks for helping me.

Later today, the group will be singing If I Had A Heart

in front of their first professional audience.

Is Chloe ready to be under the solo spotlight?

I think you need to face your fears. Come with me.

-Bye, Chloe!

-Bye!

-Tell us what happens!

-Good luck!

Waiting for Chloe are four boys from her school.

Not just any boys - the coolest boys.

Cos we're the boys,

she's never sung in front of us, so she'll be really scared.

Chloe's probably really scared

singing in front of me cos I'm three years older than her

and I'm really involved with the performing arts at school.

For Chloe, this is her worst nightmare.

'I feel like they're going to laugh at me

'and not appreciate my singing voice.'

I feel I need to conquer that,

but it's going to be really hard.

Come on in, I've got some people for you to sing to.

Oh, no!

Who's this?

-Lewis, Brendan, Imran, Aaron.

-And who are they?

-My schoolmates and a boy in year nine!

-A boy in year nine!

'That was my biggest fear ever. It was horrible.'

I hate singing in front of boys, it's scary!

-Are you OK?

-No!

'I think Chloe's going to really struggle with this.'

She's really frightened of these boys.

'These are the coolest boys in her school.'

Tough.

I want you to face your fears, and sing to them.

'If she can get over this, I think it's going to be'

plain sailing from here on in.

PIANO INTRODUCTION

I can't even remember any of the words!

DISCORD

Can I have a look at the words?

-Yeah.

-I'm too scared!

-SHE INHALES DEEPLY

Have a quick look.

All right, fine. All right.

Face them.

PIANO INTRODUCTION

# Said a tin man... #

Oh, I can't do it.

-Yes, you can.

-No, I can't.

Why not, Chloe?

-Chloe.

-I can't.

-You can, you can.

-I can't.

-Look.

BOYS: Come on, Chloe!

Look how supportive they are. You'll be fine.

There's nothing to be scared of.

Let's try it again, here we go.

# Said a tin man... # Oh, no, I can't!

# ..rattling his jibs... # Chloe, this is the challenge.

The challenge is, it doesn't matter who's out there.

-It shouldn't put you off your game.

-I'm shaking.

-I know you are.

I absolutely believe you can get through this song.

Everyone has been worried about "what people at school will think".

I think people overestimate how much people are going to...

be down on them for singing. It's just singing!

Face your fears.

It's make or break for Chloe. If she can't get through this,

her fragile confidence will be totally knocked.

PIANO INTRODUCTION

# Said a tin man rattling his jibs

# To a straw man sad and weary-eyed

# Oh, the Lord gave me tin ribs

# But forgot about the heart inside

# When a man's an empty kettle

# He should be on his mettle

# And yet he's not apart

# Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kinda human

# If I only had a heart. #

Wow!

OK, what did you think?

I thought that was great. And she carried on trying to do it

and she done it really well, so that was good.

You have nothing to worry about, you've got a great voice!

Thank you.

I managed to sing the whole song, so I'm really proud of myself.

-Take a bow.

-Chloe had the guts to sing to the boys from school.

Will she find her voice

before an audience of professional entertainers?

The group may be petrified of the stage, but putting on a good show

is key when performing show tunes.

Singing a show tune and you want a better stage presence...

You've got to get into that character,

you can't just sing the words of the song

and expect people to go, "That's lovely."

I saw Jay-Z at Wireless and when he came out, he didn't even do nothing.

He walked out and his swagger and his presence was just...

No-one could touch him, like.

He literally walked out four steps and everyone was like...

The biggest gig that we ever did was in Hyde Park, Prom In The Park,

which was before Terry Wogan came on, and it was phenomenal.

People as far as you could see.

There's nothing really that compares to standing on a stage

in the West End, or in any theatre.

It's absolutely magical.

They've sung to each other and in front of Gareth's old school choir.

Today, the stakes are raised.

The novice singers must perform their show tune

in front of professional entertainers.

Will they rise to this performance challenge?

I've never done a performance on a big stage like this,

it's always been, like, just my mum watching.

I am feeling scared, like I'm going to wet myself!

It's even more pressured for Chloe.

Gareth will be assessing her suitability

as a Proms In The Park soloist.

I feel really scared

about coming on and really terrified,

cos I don't want to forget my lines.

They really need to deliver a fantastic performance,

with stage presence, energy and character,

and they need to draw in the audience.

APPLAUSE

# Said a tin man... #

Oh...

# Said a tin man... #

Oh, I can't do it.

Chloe's fluffed her first line.

Will she be able to get back on track?

-Come on, Chloe!

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Despite support from the audience,

Chloe has lost all her early confidence.

-SHE SOBS

-I don't want to do it!

What's the matter?

I don't want to do it.

You can do this.

You did it in front of the coolest boys in your school,

and now you can do it in front of them.

-I'm scared, though.

-I know you're scared.

You've got to face your fears, yeah?

It's the only way you'll get over them.

Think how good you're going to feel after you've done this.

Can Chloe finally find the courage?

-Come on, Chloe!

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Go on, Chloe!

# Said a tin man rattling his ribs

# To a straw man sad and weary-eyed

# Oh, the Lord gave me tin ribs

# But forgot to put a heart inside

# Then he banging his hollow chest and cried

# I'd be tender, I'd be gentle

# And awful sentimental

# Regarding love and art

# I'll be friends with the sparrows and the boys that shoots the arrows

# If I only had a heart. #

CHEERING

A bow.

They've succeeded in singing to their first professional audience.

It's a massive achievement.

But did their show tune leave the audience wanting more?

A little bit disappointed, cos I think, when the guys got on stage,

the nerves got the better of them, there was no eye contact,

they were all a bit nervous.

Well done. I know you were super-scared, but you did it.

'They're doing what they've been told to do, but not performing it.'

They need to remember that they're on stage.

The things going through my mind

was that they're going to think I'm rubbish

and that I can't sing.

And I just thought, "Oh, no. I can't stand up on the stage."

I think the audience thought that our performance was OK,

but I thought that some of them probably thought

we could be doing so much better.

In eight weeks, the group will be standing on a stage

with an 80-piece orchestra,

performing to a crowd of 40,000 people.

Will they be ready?

That was their first performance in front of a professional audience

and frankly, it was touch and go. Chloe just forgot the words

and got really struck by nerves,

and she did incredibly well to calm herself down

and pulled it back!

Last week, Gareth rated Annabel and Katie

as having a low chance of doing the solo at the big performance.

It's crunch time. How does he rate Chloe's chances?

Chloe, after that performance, has a medium chance of being the soloist.

She did run off stage, can I trust her

not to run off stage in front of 40,000 people?

It's a worry.

Next time on The Big Performance...

-Yee-ha!

-The cowboys come to town.

-Do you like country music?

-BOTH: No.

-Hate country music?

-BOTH: Yep.

The star of hit TV show Outnumbered gets them playing the part.

-Get up!

-No! Please! I have two starving kids at home!

And a refusal to sing threatens the entire group's performance.

-What's happened?

-I don't want to do it.

If he pulls out now, he'll regret it for the rest of his life.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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