Life after deaf at Hamilton Arts Festival
Who: Penni Feather (vocals) and Nick Stevens (piano)
What: Deaf Defying Cunning Stunt
When: Sunday, 5.30pm
Where: Meteor Theatre
Reviewed by: Sarah Morcom
Penni Feather’s powerful and clean singing voice was indeed deaf defying.
If she had not told the Hamilton Arts Festival audience she was “three-quarters deaf”, we never would have known. Accompanied by her “three-quarters blind” pianist Nick Stevens (Nicky Keys), she sang numbers from songwriters such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Kate Bush with vigour.
The crowd pleasers from well-known artists did well with the audience, and voices could be heard singing along. There was almost a desire to hear a few more recognisable songs, but the lesser known ones were refreshing.
A slight disappointment was that Feather clearly had a natural theatrical flair and talent, which unfortunately felt a little dampened. The show was slightly casual and unpolished, with Feather reading off a script when speaking to the audience, and there were a couple of false starts in some songs.
Her classy black jumpsuit and bright pink adaptable wrap-around skirt/cape were the level of fabulousness that the show deserved, and the rest of the set could have reflected this a little more.
However, it was incredibly satisfying to hear the vocal techniques and flair that Feather clearly never lost despite most of her hearing going. She did not lean on her deafness as a crutch, but did not hide from it either.
The show was educational between songs. Feather explained how she lost her hearing, and the effects it had on her. The audience learned that hearing loss can affect taste buds and balance.
She noted an entire song in sign language while singing, showing the audience how the words relate to the signs.
Although New Zealand accents tend to sound a little awkward in show business, Feather’s beautiful enunciation and pace of speaking made for a theatrical sounding Kiwi accent.
A sweet tribute in the show to deaf musicians was a short snippet from Stevens of Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight Sonata), which was composed by Beethoven, another deaf musician who Feather said would lean his chin on his piano to feel the music, the same way she often leans her chin on her guitar.